


Second Chance At First Love

by youwishpreppy



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Fluff, High School, Light Angst, M/M, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-06-08 07:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15238470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youwishpreppy/pseuds/youwishpreppy
Summary: Joaquin is back in Riverdale, and he has a mission: He wants a second chance with Kevin. Unfortunately, Kevin doesn't feel the same way, and so things get pretty awkward when Joaquin starts the new school year at Riverdale High. But Joaquin won't give up so easily, and maybe he can still win back Kevin's heart with the help of a few unexpected allies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU set after the events of the season 2 finale. Archie is not in jail, the Serpents live in the camp at the river and the new school year is just beginning. This fanfiction is basically what I wish for in season 3. I would love to see Joaquin attend Riverdale High School! I hope you like my story and it would be super nice, if you left kudos and comments. I always love to talk to other Joavin fans!

It had been three months since Joaquin came back to Riverdale. In those three months Fangs had gotten shot and barely survived, Jughead had been almost beaten to death, the Serpents had lost the Southside and were now camping down at Sweetwater River, and Joaquin had asked himself a thousand times why he didn't just catch the next bus back to San Junipero.  
  
But if he was honest with himself, he knew why. Because Riverdale was his home. The Serpents were his family, and it didn't feel right to leave them in times like these. And so Joaquin stayed.  
  
He found it easy to settle back in with the other young Serpents. He had always been close with them, and Joaquin was relieved to see that they seemed happy to have him back in their midst.

Fangs had always been his best friend out of the three. They both were too sensitive for gang life really, and it was great to have someone to talk, someone who understood and didn't judge when you showed them your true feelings. Sweet Pea had always looked up to Joaquin and followed him around like a puppy. Once Joaquin had turned 15 and was initiated as a Serpent, Sweet Pea had been in awe of the older Serpent and treated him like their king or something. And he still respected Joaquin a lot, even now that he was a Serpent himself. And Toni had initially been like a little sister to Joaquin. He had felt so protective over that tiny girl, all alone amongst the boys. But he had soon realized that Toni didn't need his protection, and over the years he had gotten the impression that Toni was often the one looking out for him.  
  
Joaquin was happy to be back with them. He had been very lonely in San Junipero and hated every minute of it. Sure he had managed to get on his feet again, found a little place to live in, found work, but he hadn't felt comfortable.  
  
Being back here, back with the only family he knew, was what he had wished for so often. And that was why Joaquin decided to stay. And if that meant having to sleep in a tent, he didn't give a damn. It was actually pretty cool he thought. A bit like their camping trips to Fox Forrest. Every evening they met at the fire and sat there for hours, talking, playing cards or just drinking beer in comfortable silence. Despite all the bad things, which had happened, the summer turned out to be fun. The Serpents adjusted pretty fast to their camp-life and made the best of the situation.  
  
But now summer was over, and that meant the start of a new school year. Joaquin had dropped out of school when he had to flee Riverdale, but now he wanted to go back and graduate. This would mean at least a little chance to make something out of his life. But the problem was that Joaquin had to go to Riverdale High. Kevin's school.  
  
So many months had passed since Joaquin's return, and he still hadn't dared to contact Kevin.  
  
Joaquin had sent Kevin several texts during his first two weeks in San Junipero. He had been so desperate, so heartbroken and couldn't stand the thought that he would never see Kevin again, that it was truly over. And so Joaquin had sent Kevin texts, about how much he missed him and how sorry he was for keeping things from Kevin. One night he had been drunk and had sent Kevin a typo-filled message in which he told Kevin that he would never get over him, that he would never want anyone else. He had been so embarrassed about it the next morning.  
  
But Kevin never responded to any of those messages, and Joaquin had finally forced himself to stop. It was evident that Kevin didn't want to talk to him and Joaquin couldn't blame him.  
  
Over the summer in the camp, Joaquin had often found himself toying with his phone, opening Kevin's chat, but he had never typed anything. He didn't know what to say. Just announce _"Hey I am back!"_? It seemed too weird to do that. It was probably better to meet Kevin in person, but Joaquin felt like he wasn't ready yet to just casually meet Kevin at Pop's or somewhere else on the Northside. The truth was, he was scared of how Kevin would react. And so Joaquin had made sure to stay in the camp all the time so he wouldn't run into Kevin accidentally.  
  
But now they would go to the same school. Joaquin was not in the same year, but it was a small school, and they would definitely bump into each other. He had asked Jughead whether Kevin knew about Joaquin being back in town. Maybe someone had told him already. But Jughead had denied it. Maybe it was better this way Joaquin thought. Perhaps it would give him a better start if Kevin was taken completely off guard upon Joaquin's arrival at Riverdale High.  
  
The first day of school arrived faster than Joaquin had expected. He was tagging along after Fangs, Toni and Sweet Pea. It was the second time Joaquin walked into Riverdale High School. The first time had been at homecoming last year, at Kevin's side. Joaquin sighed. He couldn't help it, he was extremely nervous. His heart was pounding wildly, and his hands were shaking. He had expected it to be weird, but not that it would be this bad. But the thought of seeing Kevin again was almost too much for Joaquin.  
  
Fangs looked over his shoulder, and upon seeing Joaquin's apparent nervous state, he slowed down a bit and fell in step next to his friend.  
  
"Hey, it's going to be ok."  
  
Joaquin tried to laugh, but it sounded fake, and he cringed.  
  
"Maybe this was a bad idea, Fangs."  
  
"How could it be bad? You need to go to school! There's no other option, and that's it! Come on, everything will work out just fine. Think positive. Usually, you are so good at that."  
  
"I know, but this is different. What do I do, when I see him?"  
  
Joaquin was about to add more, but Toni looked back at him too now and said: "A fair warning, I see your man over there."  
  
Oh god. That was it. Joaquin breathed in deeply, steeling himself for what was about to happen. It was strange, on the one hand, he was exhilarated to know that Kevin was over there, that Joaquin would finally see him again, on the other hand, he was terrified. But there was no turning back now. So he straightened his back and just walked on, trying to put on a calm facade.

And then his gaze landed on the boy, he couldn't stop thinking about, the boy his heart still ached for even after all those months: Kevin Keller. He was leaning against a locker, several books in his hands and was talking to Veronica Lodge.  
  
But then, as if sensing what was going on, Kevin looked up and his eyes locked instantly with Joaquin's. Joaquin could see the exact moment when realization hit Kevin. His eyes were widening, his lips still parted from talking to Veronica, but no words coming out of his mouth anymore. Kevin looked as if he had seen a ghost. And he was right, Joaquin thought grimly. Joaquin was a ghost. Kevin's past coming back to haunt him.  
  
Fangs elbowed Joaquin painfully and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Don't just stare at him. Go over to him, come on!"  
  
Joaquin gulped. Fangs was right of course. He had to go over and talk to Kevin. He slowly approached the other boy, his eyes never leaving Kevin's face. Kevin was still looking absolutely shocked, but that was only to be expected. Joaquin tried to calm himself down. Maybe things would be ok if they just talked.  
  
He had crossed the distance in a few steps and all too soon he stopped in front of Kevin, and it was even worse now, standing so close to him. All Joaquin wanted to do, was pull Kevin into a hug. But he couldn't do that of course. And so he just settled for a quiet: "Hello, Preppy."  
  
Kevin blinked at him several times, before answering: "Joaquin...what are you doing here?" he sounded utterly baffled.  
  
Joaquin found that he couldn't look away from Kevin's eyes. He had stared at the pictures of Kevin he had saved on his phone, for how many hours he couldn't even tell. Had marveled at Kevin's pretty face, at his green eyes and his cute smile. But reality was even better. And suddenly Joaquin wasn't tongue tied anymore.  
  
"I am back in Riverdale. For good. I will go to Riverdale High now to graduate. How are you, Preppy?"  
  
"I..um...I am ok...I guess. But since when are you back? Why..."  
  
"I came back just before Fangs got shot."  
  
"That long? But I didn't know."  
  
"Yeah, I was staying down at Sweetwater River with the other Serpents. I didn't know whether it was ok to contact you. But I am so glad to finally see you!" He couldn't stop himself from smiling at Kevin and then added softly: "Can we talk, please? Just the two of us, I mean. Maybe after school?"  
  
Joaquin didn't know where he took his courage from. On the inside, he definitely wasn't as calm as he appeared right now. But maybe seeing Kevin was what brought that change. Joaquin just knew why he was doing this, why he was here. Because he wanted Kevin back. He wanted a chance to get back what they used to have.  
  
Kevin was still in some state of shock, still staring at Joaquin. He didn't answer at first, and Joaquin was getting a bit nervous again, but then Kevin finally spoke up: "I'm not sure..."  
  
Damn, Joaquin wasn't prepared for this. What should he do now? Leave? But he didn't want to do that, after finally seeing Kevin again. He was searching for something else to say, something to convince Kevin that they should talk some more.  
  
Luckily he got help from an unexpected side. Veronica, who was still standing next to Kevin, elbowed her friend in the ribs and said: "I think that's a brilliant idea! You probably have a lot to talk about. How about eight o' clock at Pop's?"  
  
Joaquin nodded enthusiastically: "Sounds great!"  
  
Kevin was looking from Veronica to Joaquin as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

_"Please say yes!"_ Joaquin thought desperately. He honestly didn't know what he would do, if Kevin refused to talk to him. How was he supposed to go to this school, when Kevin didn't even give him a chance to explain himself? Maybe it would be better to leave. Did he really need to graduate? Or perhaps he could transfer to some other school?  
  
Joaquin was still busy overthinking when Kevin mumbled: "Whatever. Yes, that's ok for me."  
  
Relief washed over Joaquin. He had never liked Veronica as much as he did at this moment. He had always suspected that she didn't think much of him, but apparently, he had been wrong.

Before Kevin could change his mind again, Joaquin quickly said: "Thank you! See you later," gave Kevin one last smile and then strode back to his friends, who were all grinning at him, Fangs even showing him the thumbs up. This had gone much better than he had expected, thanks to Veronica.

~

Joaquin had arrived half an hour early at Pop's. Maybe this made him look even more desperate, but he hadn't been able to help it. He had been a wreck the whole afternoon. Joaquin was so excited to meet Kevin, and while he was looking forward to their meeting, he was also worried about the outcome of their talk. Kevin hadn't seemed too happy about seeing Joaquin. But maybe that had just been the shock? Of course, Kevin hadn't expected to run into Joaquin at his school. Perhaps now that he had the rest of the day to come to terms with it, things would be better.  
  
Joaquin toyed with the straw in his milkshake, looking around. Pop's was relatively empty, and Joaquin was glad about it. This way Kevin and him could talk without getting disturbed by anyone.

The doorbell jingled, and Kevin came in. Joaquin drew in a sharp breath. He was still not used to seeing Kevin again. His heart started beating rapidly in his chest, and he felt like he couldn't draw his eyes away from his ex-boyfriend, or maybe, if things worked out the way he wanted them to, soon to be boyfriend again.  
  
Kevin stopped a moment and looked around the shop, searching for Joaquin and once he spotted him quickly strode over to their table and sat down opposite Joaquin.  
  
"Hey. Sorry I am a bit late."  
  
"Hey, Kevin. No, don't worry." Joaquin's voice sounded too high, which was always a sure sign that he was flustered and Joaquin was sure that Kevin knew it too. He looked at Kevin nervously.  
  
Kevin was shifting around uneasily on his bench, and Joaquin realized that he was just as nervous as Joaquin was. Seeing that Kevin also wasn't in control, helped Joaquin get at least a little bit calmer. Before he could change his mind again, he said:  
  
"Thank you, that you agreed to meet me. This means a lot me."  
  
Kevin finally stopped shifting around and looked Joaquin straight in the eye, seemingly more collected now.  
  
"Look, before we start I just want to point out, that this is not a date."  
  
"Ok. Sure I know that, Preppy." Joaquin was quick to answer.  
  
"And um not to be rude but... I would prefer it if you stopped calling me that. Preppy, I mean. It's weird hearing that again after all that time."  
  
Now that really surprised Joaquin, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond and so just nodded weakly.  
  
An uncomfortable silence settled over them. Kevin not willing to say anything else and Joaquin not knowing what to do now. Being told off for using the pet name, Joaquin loved so much for Kevin, had taken him completely off guard. He was still trying to sort out his thoughts again and think of something to say when Pop came over, and Kevin ordered his peanut butter milkshake.  
  
At least this gave Joaquin the chance to say something: "Oh is peanut butter still your fave?"  
  
But he immediately felt stupid once the words had left his mouth. What idiotic question was that? Of course, it was still Kevin's fave! What else would it be? Joaquin was beginning to think that this meeting was a bad idea. He was going to make the biggest fool of himself. It felt as if his whole self-confidence had just vanished. He averted his gaze, staring at his own milkshake, wishing that he could just think of something reasonable to say.  
  
He was saved by Kevin though, who spoke up softly. "Yes, it still is. And I think it's nice that you remember what my favorite milkshake flavor is. I'm sorry, ok? For lashing out at you because of the nickname. It's just a bit much right now. I didn't expect to ever see you again. I am still a bit out of it I guess."  
  
Joaquin dared to look up again. Kevin was even smiling at him a bit, and it managed to make Joaquin feel more at ease again.  
  
"It's ok. I will try not to use that name. And I am still shocked too."  
  
Pop took that moment to walk over to them, placed Kevin's milkshake on the table and left them alone again. Those few seconds were enough for Joaquin to make up his mind. He needed to apologize and then explain, that Kevin still meant the world to him.  
  
"Kevin.." "So what did you want to talk about?" They both said at the same time. Kevin gestured at Joaquin to go on.  
  
"I wanted to talk about us. I just feel like we never got the chance to talk about all the things that happened before I had to leave. I mean I texted you about it, but it's not the same I guess."  
  
"I am sorry I never replied to your texts. I couldn't. I just needed to ban everything that reminded me of you from my life."  
  
"I understand that. You probably hate me, and you have every right to do so. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about everything! About keeping all those secrets from you and about spying on your dad. I felt so bad about it, and I still do. I regret it so much. I should have just told you the truth."  
  
"Yeah, you should have. Look, Joaquin. I don't hate you, not anymore. I did at first, yes. I was so angry and disappointed, but then I realized that it wasn't your fault. I guess you had no other choice. FP dragged you into this whole mess. But yes, you shouldn't have kept things from me."  
  
"I know, and I promise you that I will never lie to you again or keep things from you. I swore that to myself. And that's why I...why I want to tell you something." It was now, or never Joaquin thought, no turning back. "I missed you so much, Kevin, and I would give anything for a second chance. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't think I could ever get over you..."  
  
Joaquin knew he was babbling, he was probably having some kind of panic attack he thought, but he couldn't stop. If he stopped talking, Kevin could reply and turn him down or get angry or something.  
  
But Joaquin was ripped out of his babbling when Kevin placed a hand over his. It sent an electric jolt through Joaquin. Just this little touch and it felt like his whole world had flipped.  
  
"Joaquin." Kevin's voice was firm, and it managed to shut Joaquin up.  
  
"Yes?" he asked quietly.  
  
Kevin drew his hand back, and Joaquin instantly missed the warmth where Kevin's skin had touched his.  
  
"I can't give you that, sorry. The thing is, I moved on. I didn't expect to ever see you again, to be honest. But even you coming back doesn't change a thing. I am finally ok again. And I am in a new relationship. Or I started something new with someone, we are still figuring out what it is. But yeah, there's someone new in my life. I don't want to get back together with you, I am sorry."  
  
"Oh." Was all Joaquin was able to say.  
  
It hurt. Joaquin had not really expected Kevin to just take him back without a little struggle, but deep down he had still hoped so badly, that Kevin would still have feelings for him. That they could work things out and start over new with each other. But now he couldn't hope anymore, and it was the worst feeling in the world.  
  
But Kevin wasn't finished yet: "This probably sounds cruel, but I don't think this is a good idea. Us meeting like this I mean. I think we should keep our distance. I don't want to give my...um..boyfr..this new guy, the wrong impression."  
  
As if the rejection hadn't been enough already. Joaquin heard his blood rushing in his ears, and he was beginning to feel sick from the sweet smell of the milkshakes. It was too much. Whatever he had expected from this meeting, it definitely wasn't this. Somehow he had imagined in every scenario that they would end up at least on good terms if not even together again. He inwardly chided himself for being such a dreamer.  
  
"Joaquin?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Um, are you ok?"  
  
A bitter little laugh escaped Joaquin's mouth before he could stop himself.  
  
"No, I am not." And that was all he was able to say. He had a thousand thoughts, a thousand things he wanted to say to Kevin, like _"Of course I am not ok, I love you, and I want you back!"_ or _"You are my everything, I don't know what to do without you. Please give me another chance!"_ But of course, he could never say that to Kevin, not after what had just happened. It took all of his strength to look at Kevin and not start crying.  
  
Kevin seemed to be very uncomfortable too. His eyes were shifting nervously from Joaquin to the table, to his hands and back again.  
  
Joaquin didn't even realize that he got up from his seat, but suddenly he was standing next to their table. He was acting on pure instinct, just needing to get away from this situation.  
  
"I understand. I'll just leave then," he mumbled, his voice sounding so weak. But he couldn't even feel embarrassed anymore. He was numb. One last look at Kevin and then Joaquin quickly walked away, paid for his milkshake and left Pop's, forcing himself to not look back over his shoulder.

~

When Joaquin arrived at the Serpent's camp, all he wanted to do, was just crawl into his tent and hide away from the rest of the world. But of course, his friends spotted him and quickly came his way.  
  
"Hey, how did it go?" Fangs inquired excitedly, but then he got close enough to see Joaquin's expression and Joaquin knew that Fangs could see how wrong everything had gone. Joaquin gasped when Fangs flung his arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I am so sorry, Joaquin."  
  
Toni was the next one to come up to him and put her arms around him too. They were standing in some awkward group hug, and it probably looked ridiculous, but ever since leaving Pop's Joaquin felt halfway comfortable for the first time again. Even Sweet Pea put an arm around Joaquin's shoulders.  
  
"Do you need a drink?" Toni asked.

Joaquin was tempted for a moment, but then he remembered how drinking hadn't helped at all when he had been in San Junipero, how he got even sadder when he was drunk, and so he declined her offer.  
  
"What did he say? Will you tell us?" Fangs wanted to know.

And still standing in the middle of the Serpents group hug, Joaquin told them everything. It was hard, and his voice caught in his throat several times, but he got the whole story out.  
  
"Keller, that ass." Sweet Pea grunted once Joaquin was finished.  
  
"Oh god, that's awful." Toni offered.  
  
And Fangs tightened his hold on Joaquin some more and said: "This must hurt like hell. I feel so bad for you. I know how much Kevin means to you. But maybe not everything is lost. He is just in shock still. Give him some time."  
  
"Thank you, guys," Joaquin whispered. Fangs was right, it _did_ hurt like hell. His heart felt heavy in his chest, his eyes burning from unshed tears and he could already feel the beginnings of a headache.  
  
His friends slowly pulled away, but still kept standing so close to Joaquin, that they were almost touching. He was thankful for having them here. This had been the worst thing about his exile in San Junipero. He had to deal with all of his heartbreak alone. Here he had his friends, who looked out for him and who he could pour his heart out to.  
  
"What do you want to do? We need to find something that will distract you!" Toni said.  
  
But Joaquin shook his head. "No it's ok, I don't really want to do anything. I'll just try to sleep."  
  
"As if you can sleep!" Fangs exclaimed. "I'll stay with you. Keep the bad thoughts away. Like some dreamcatcher come to life."  
  
Joaquin let out a little laugh, without wanting too. He nodded. Actually, he was quite glad that Fangs offered to stay with him. He knew that once he was alone, the thoughts about Kevin would haunt him.  
  
And so Joaquin and Fangs spent the rest of the night together. They talked about Kevin a lot, and while it hurt to do that, it also helped Joaquin to let it all out. And he was glad that Fangs didn't talk badly about Kevin, because Kevin definitely didn't deserve that. Fangs just listened to Joaquin and offered some input from time to time. And after several hours like that, Joaquin finally was so tired that he managed to fall asleep.

~

Joaquin dreaded going to school the next day, but he knew that there was nothing he could do and at least he wasn't in the same year as Kevin, so they wouldn't have to interact.  
  
He was still feeling very uneasy, once he arrived at Riverdale High, his eyes always searching the hallway for a sign of Kevin. But apparently, it wasn't Kevin who he needed to be wary of, because it was Betty Cooper who suddenly jumped in front of him, making him almost run into her.

"Hey Joaquin, can we talk for a moment?" She asked and before he could even answer already stirred him away into an empty classroom.

Without wasting time, Betty continued: "I know about your meeting with Kevin and what happened, and I want to help."

Joaquin raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Help? Me?"

"Yes. I want to help you get Kevin back."

Joaquin could only stare at her. He didn't understand what was going on.

"But why? And I don't think he will like that." He managed to say.

"I don't care whether he likes that or not. He was so happy, back when you two were still together. I want that again for Kevin."

Hearing that sent a sad smile creeping over Joaquin's face. Yes, it was true. Kevin had been happy, back when they were still together. They both had been so happy. But Kevin was in a new relationship, and surely he was happy with that guy too. It wouldn't make any sense otherwise. Joaquin still didn't get what Betty was playing at, and so he just stated the obvious:

"He has a new boyfriend."

Betty snorted at that and rolled her eyes dramatically: "I wouldn't call that boyfriend! Do you know who it is?"

"No, Kevin didn't tell me."

"Moose."

Now that was truly a surprise.

"What? But he isn't even...did he out himself since I was away?"

"No, that's the joke. And that's why no one knows about this, apart from Veronica and me. Moose wants to keep their relationship a secret. Kevin always goes on about how Moose just needs some time, but if you ask me, he will never be ready."

Joaquin took a moment to let that new information sink in. Now that he knew what was going on, it suddenly made sense why Kevin had been stumbling over his words, when he had told Joaquin about this mysterious new guy in his life. Joaquin was surprised that Betty would tell him this, he barely knew her, and it seemed a bit shady to go behind Kevin's back like this.

Joaquin sadly shook his head and said: "But if Kevin likes Moose, I don't think you should interfere."

"Oh come on! It's nothing serious. Kevin is lonely, and he just took this chance. But even the circumstances how they got together, were so weird. Moose kissed Kevin, only a few days after his girlfriend had been buried. It should have never gotten farther than that. But Kevin is so desperate sometimes."  
  
Joaquin was at a loss for words. It sounded ridiculous, what she said. Like a bad movie plot. But Joaquin knew Kevin good enough, knew him better than he knew himself sometimes he thought, and yes he had to agree that Kevin was indeed desperate sometimes. Deep down Kevin was insecure, and he feared that he would always stay alone and so he was very willing if someone paid him attention or even offered him some kind of love.  
  
Joaquin remembered the first time he had met Kevin at the drive-in. How Kevin had looked at him in utter amazement as if he couldn't believe that someone was interested him. And Kevin was a very trusting person, he always saw the good in people. Of course, Kevin would believe Moose when Moose said that he just needed some more time because Kevin _wanted_ to believe it. And the fact that Moose had been griefing when he kissed Kevin probably only added to that, made Kevin feel like he needed to take care of Moose and that he had to treat Moose very carefully.  
  
Betty sighed, looking at the clock above their heads. It was time for class. She gave Joaquin one last look: "You know the whole story now, do with it, what you want ok? If you decide that you need my help, just talk to me."  
  
She stormed out of the room, leaving a confused Joaquin behind. He went to his class but didn't hear a single word the teacher said. His mind was going over and over again what Betty had said. Joaquin had made up his mind last night when he had stayed up and talked to Fangs. Had decided that he would stay away from Kevin. That he would let Kevin have his new life and would try to move on too.  
  
Of course, he had known, that it wouldn't be that easy. Joaquin had already tried to move on after he had left Riverdale, he really had. At first, it had seemed impossible, but after two months in San Junipero Joaquin had given in when a guy had flirted with him in a bar and had gone home with him. But even during hooking up he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Kevin. He had found himself closing his eyes and picturing Kevin. And that had been the moment, when he had pushed the guy away, hastily put on his clothes and left in a hurry.  
  
And it had been the same story all over again when he had met the next guy. After that Joaquin had decided to give up and just stay alone. He had hoped that time would heal his wounds and one day things would be ok again. But then FP had called him and asked him to come back to Riverdale, and suddenly there had been another option: He could get Kevin back. And that had become Joaquin's lifeline, the one thing that he wanted more than anything else.  
  
After yesterday he had felt so lost because his mission had seemed to come to an end. There didn't seem to be any hope. Kevin wasn't interested, and Joaquin didn't want to interfere if Kevin really had found someone new and was happy with that person.  
  
But now things looked different. If what Betty said was true... Joaquin knew that a secret relationship wasn't something Kevin wanted. Kevin had been so happy that in Joaquin he had finally found someone, who wanted to be with him officially. He had been so proud and introduced Joaquin to everyone as his boyfriend, smiling from ear to ear. That was what Kevin needed, not some quick, secret hookups. Kevin deserved someone, who held his hand in public, who kissed him in front of everybody and who was happy to be called Kevin Keller's boyfriend. And Joaquin just knew that Moose wasn't that guy.  
  
At the end of class, Joaquin had come to a new conclusion: He would fight for Kevin! He would try to win him back.  
  
Things couldn't get worse than they already were and this way Joaquin would at least know that he had done everything he could, even if it didn't work out in the end. _"It's on."_ He thought and felt much more hopeful again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After deciding that he wants to fight for Kevin, Joaquin now takes first steps to get on Kevin's good side again and soon realizes that maybe there is still something between them. But is it enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2. I hope you like it and keep your fingers crossed for Joaquin to get Kevin back! Thank you so much to everyone, who read the first chapter! I am still a bit nervous about posting a multi-chaptered fanfic, and it means a lot to me, that I got all those nice comments and kudos! Thank you for encouraging me <3

Joaquin had a plan. He would win back Kevin's heart. It wouldn't be easy, but he wouldn't give up. The first step was to make sure that he always looked his best, when he got to school, hoping that Kevin would look his way and like what he saw.  
  
The second step was not to let himself get encouraged by Kevin's rejection. That meant that Joaquin would not allow himself to hide away. He forced himself to seek Kevin's gaze, to greet him kindly, when passing him in the hallway and to talk to Kevin's friends, whenever he found an opportunity to do so.

It was actually very nice to meet Archie again, and since Veronica and Betty had both helped Joaquin and seemed to be on his side, he talked to them too, though he didn't know them very well. And of course that brought him in Kevin's proximity. Joaquin was careful not to overdo it because he didn't want to get on Kevin's nerves or appear like some stalking creep. But he would just pop up from time to time and casually be in Kevin's vicinity.

The best opportunity offered itself out of sheer luck though. Joaquin's music teacher approached him after class and told him that she had noticed how interested he was in her class and asked him whether he would like to join in an extracurricular activity, namely the yearly musical production. They were still looking for an assistant director, and she could see Joaquin enjoying that and being very helpful. Of course, Joaquin knew that the school musical was Kevin's baby. And he had agreed happily.  
  
His teacher told him to meet her after his last class of the day so they could go together to the drama club meeting. Joaquin was nervous and had second thoughts on their way to the meeting, but he forced himself to walk on, knowing that this was too good a chance to pass on.  
  
His teacher entered the room before him, announcing proudly that she had solved the problem of finding an assistant director. Kevin's voice carried over to Joaquin, sending butterflies flying in his stomach: "Oh that's fantastic! Who is it?"  
  
The teacher looked over her shoulder at Joaquin and motioned for him to come inside too: "Mr. DeSantos! He is very interested and talented, and he was still looking for an extracurricular activity."  
  
Joaquin entered the room, and Kevin's face fell. Their eyes met above the teachers head, and Joaquin felt a sting upon seeing the anger in Kevin's gaze. He apparently didn't take it well.  
  
"Oh ok. I didn't know he was interested in musicals. You never told me, Joaquin."  
  
"You know each other?" Their teacher asked, looking from one boy to the other. "That's even better! Great, I think this will benefit the production. Have fun!"  
  
"Thank you," Joaquin muttered and walked over to Kevin and two other students, who he didn't know.  
  
"Musicals? Really?" Kevin asked.

"This wasn't my idea, Kevin. But she is right, I need an extracurricular activity, and I figured this sounded pretty cool. Maybe musical aren't my thing usually, but you know that I love music and I guess I can really help you."  
  
It was the truth. Joaquin knew how much this school musical meant to Kevin. He had always talked about how much he wanted to make something like this when they had still been together, and Joaquin had been so proud of him when he heard that Kevin had really managed to produce a musical later that school year.  
  
And if Joaquin could help with that new project, he would love to do that, and it didn't matter that he wasn't that much into musicals.  
  
Kevin looked as if he wanted to disagree, but he just shook his head resignedly and said: "Sit down, I'll show you what we already have."  
  
It wasn't much since they had just started to work on the concept and Joaquin was pretty happy about it because that meant that he could spend a lot of time with Kevin while working on this.  
  
~

They took their work seriously, meeting two times a week to get the concept, and most of the time it was just the two of them. Joaquin was living for those hours, during which he could sit next to Kevin and share his ideas with him, those hours in which Kevin even sometimes smiled at him a bit when Joaquin had a good point.

But those hours were also the hardest because it hurt to be this close to Kevin and not be allowed to hug him or just kiss him. Sometimes Joaquin dared to move his chair a bit closer than necessary to Kevin's, and it would lead to their elbows touching. It was amazing, even through several layers of clothes, Joaquin could feel how warm Kevin's skin was, and it made him long for more contact.  
  
Other times Joaquin caught himself staring at Kevin, not able to tear his gaze away. He had pictured Kevin's face all the time when he was in San Junipero. It had become some sort of nightly ritual, before falling asleep. Joaquin had felt like he needed to remember every little detail so he could ensure that he would never forget this beautiful boy, who had been his once. He had looked at the pictures of Kevin, he had on his phone, over and over again. Joaquin knew of course that it made things worse, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.  
  
And now he was back to staring at the real Kevin. Kevin caught him several times of course, but Joaquin was grateful that he never commented on it and just pretended that everything was fine.  
  
Those hours of working together changed the way they interacted, and Joaquin thought it was a positive change. Kevin seemed to become much more relaxed around him again. He even laughed about some jokes Joaquin made. They started greeting each other in the school halls, both smiling and it always made Joaquin's heart speed up.  
  
After two weeks like that, Joaquin decided to take the next step and started to slip back into his old habit of flirting with Kevin. Not too much, because he didn't want to scare Kevin away again, but a little bit, testing out how Kevin would react to it.  
  
He would lean in, when Kevin explained something to him during their meetings, almost resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. Or affectionately tease Kevin about his preppy clothes or some things he said, just like he had always done. It was a risk because it could have easily led to Kevin distancing himself because it was too intimate for him.  
  
But the opposite was the case. Kevin seemed to finally know how to be around Joaquin again, now that Joaquin was acting normal, the way he had always acted around Kevin, namely just being his true self.  
  
Kevin would roll his eyes and sigh exasperatedly when Joaquin teased him about how his hair was so accurately in place, that it looked fake, but then start grinning. He would tell Joaquin little stories about what was going on in his life and would ask Joaquin about his life in the Serpent camp. Or would playfully pat away Joaquin's hand, when Joaquin tried to steal Kevin's pen. Those were small things, but they were there.  
  
And then one day Joaquin caught Kevin staring at _him_. Joaquin had just closed his locker and turned around, to find Kevin standing on the opposite wall looking at him.  
  
Joaquin looked Kevin straight in the eye, raised one eyebrow and smirked at him. Kevin had told him so many times, that he found this little smirk so damn sexy. And surely, Kevin's eyes widened, his gaze slipping down to Joaquin's lips, and then quickly away. Joaquin could see how nervous it made Kevin. How he fidgeted around and scratched his neck, searching for something to look at, apart from Joaquin, and it made the smirk on Joaquin's face grow even wider.  
  
Had Kevin been checking him out? Probably. Joaquin put a mental note to remember to wear his skinny jeans to school the next day. Give Kevin something to look at, he would definitely like that. Joaquin had never been the type to care much about his looks, but now he found himself getting up earlier than ever before so he could make sure to look his best for Kevin.  
  
Joaquin knew he wasn't fighting fair, but why should he? He had the advantage that he knew full well what Kevin liked and he could work with that. And if that meant, leaning against his locker, and smirking seductively or taking half an hour longer in the morning, because he needed to style his hair, he didn't care.

Another thing Joaquin did, was watching Moose. It hurt to look at the Bulldog, knowing that he was now the one, who could kiss Kevin after school, who could meet him and talk with him and play with his hair until it was ruffled and looked so damn adorable. It made Joaquin awfully sentimental and sometimes downright sad. Every minute he had shared with Kevin, had been committed to Joaquin's memory and he treasured every single one of them. Spending time with Kevin had meant the world to Joaquin. 

Kevin had turned his world upside down. In a very good way. Suddenly everything had looked brighter. Joaquin had never believed in true love, the kind of love they presented to you in movies or books. Those were just make-believe in his opinion. He had never met anyone, who was even slightly close to any of the guys in those romances. But then Kevin had walked into his life, and Joaquin had understood how all those great love stories had come to be. Surely the authors had met someone like Kevin.  
  
Joaquin had realized that he finally had found what he had craved so much: love. Not just a little crush, not just sex or a halfhearted attempt at a relationship. With Kevin, it had been so much more. And Joaquin had suddenly seen a better future for himself. He had had a goal: become the kind of man that Kevin would want to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to become an honest man, wanted to leave the dirty work he had to do for the Serpents behind him, graduate, find a job or even go to college and start a new life.  
  
He had fallen in love with Kevin after just a few dates, and it had blown him away when Kevin had confessed to him how much he liked Joaquin and that he wanted them to be boyfriends.  
  
To think that Kevin now wanted to be Moose's boyfriend, if Moose was willing to come out, almost killed Joaquin. He was looking for any signs of the two of them maybe standing a bit too close or whispering to each other. But there were none. The only thing that gave Moose away was the way he was glaring at Joaquin, whenever they met.  
  
Maybe Joaquin should have felt bad about wanting to steal Kevin away from Moose, but he couldn't. Not under those circumstances. If Kevin had been with someone, who was officially his new boyfriend, it would have still hurt like hell, but Joaquin would have stepped back and given Kevin the chance to be happy with someone else. But Moose wasn't Kevin's boyfriend. He was the type of guy who only wanted to "love" Kevin behind closed doors, and that wasn't what Kevin deserved. So Joaquin didn't feel bad about trying to win Kevin's heart back.

~

Several weeks into the new school year, Fred Andrews invited the Serpents to another BBQ party at his house. Joaquin already knew that they would all be going, but the thing that got him really excited about the party was, that Archie told him that he had invited his friends too and that included Kevin of course.  
  
Archie flung an arm over Joaquin's shoulders, winked at him and told him to make sure to wear that blue shirt again to remind Kevin of the last time they had been at a party at Archie's house. The party at which they had spent most of the time in the kitchen, making out, forgetting the world around them.  
  
Joaquin laughed and asked: "But why would you want to remind Kevin of that?"

"Because I want you two to get back together of course."  
  
"Do you think I have a chance?"  
  
"Of course! You two were so into each other! Just make sure to spend the whole evening loitering around in the kitchen."  
  
It was great to know that another one of Kevin's friends supported Joaquin. But to be fair, Archie didn't know about Kevin and Moose, Joaquin thought.  
  
When the day of the party arrived, Joaquin felt a bit unsure about what to do. Should he really go for the blue shirt, which he had worn the last time? Wasn't that too obvious? Surely he would make a fool of himself by doing that. Kevin would think it was stupid.  
  
It was Toni, who managed to help him when she came looking for Joaquin and shook her head at him when she saw in which state he was. "You act as if you have a full walk-in closet. Just throw on one of your five shirts and let's go! What is so hard about that?"  
  
And Joaquin had given in and told her about the last time he had been on a party at Archie's house. About Kevin and him at that party, about that kitchen counter, about Kevin asking him to go to next base and about the blue shirt, he had worn back when.  
  
He had to give Toni great credit for not laughing out loud. She managed to keep an almost straight face, just a little grin and then told Joaquin that she had always liked that shirt on him and that he should probably wear it tonight because it looked really nice.

"And if Kevin thinks this is too obvious, so what? It just means that he noticed it and that he remembers all too well, what went on in that house the last time you had that shirt on. And that's what you want right? You want him to think about that."

She was right of course, and so Joaquin put on the blue shirt, grabbed his leather jacket and followed Toni.  
  
The party was actually very different from Jughead's birthday party last year. There were mostly Serpents, and they were just there to eat and chill. Joaquin was standing in the backyard with his friends when Archie approached him: "Hey, can you please help me in the kitchen?" with a wink and a mischievous grin and Joaquin knew exactly, who else was currently in the kitchen.  
  
He followed Archie and of course, was greeted by the sight of Kevin and Betty preparing some dessert when he entered the kitchen. Kevin was so busy that he didn't even see Joaquin and Archie. This gave Joaquin the time to look at him unhurriedly. Kevin looked so good in his tight grey shirt and snug fitting jeans and all Joaquin wanted to do was reach out and touch him.  
  
Archie leaned closer to Joaquin and mumbled: "Go sit on the kitchen counter like Kevin did the last time you were here together. And I don't know...just give him something to look at."  
  
Joaquin chuckled at that. Usually, he knew exactly what to do, to keep Kevin's gaze fixed on him. It had been so easy to flirt with Kevin and make him go crazy for Joaquin when they had met last year. But it was a bit different now that Joaquin knew that Kevin had someone else waiting for him: Moose, who was a football player and even taller than Kevin. Moose who was definitely handsome and probably had a very nice body... Why would Kevin even want to look at someone else?

 _"Shut up!"_ Joaquin thought angrily at himself. He needed to stop those doubts from creeping into his mind. He tried to think of the many times Kevin had told him how beautiful he thought Joaquin was and how he hadn't been able to keep his hands off Joaquin whenever they were alone or even when someone else was around.

Joaquin sighed and looked over at Kevin again. What did he have to lose? It was worth a try and if he made a fool out of himself so what?  
  
Joaquin gave in and just sat on the kitchen counter, his eyes never leaving Kevin. And finally, Kevin seemed to feel Joaquin's piercing gaze on him because he looked over and his eye instantly widened upon seeing Joaquin.  
  
Joaquin gave Kevin his best smirk and was amused to see a light blush creeping up Kevin's face. Kevin usually never blushed. It had been one of the things which had surprised Joaquin. He had thought Kevin would be a sweet, innocent and inexperienced, good little preppy boy, who would be shocked if Joaquin so much as dared to feel him up a bit. But he had been so wrong.

Seeing Kevin blush now, made Joaquin's smirk grow even wider. And he felt giddy. Kevin's reaction showed how much this affected him, how much it got to him to see Joaquin in this kitchen, where they had spent hours making out and Kevin had told Joaquin that he wanted to take him to Sweetwater River.

Joaquin ran a hand through his hair, still looking at Kevin. He knew that Kevin had always loved to touch his hair. Joaquin had sometimes told him playfully to stop it because Joaquin always got home with his hair all tousled from Kevin running his fingers through it. But he had really liked it when Kevin had done that. And Kevin had told him once that he could caress Joaquin's hair all day long and it would be the best day ever.  
  
And surely, Kevin's gaze followed Joaquin's hand, and he blushed even more. Joaquin bit his lip to stop himself from grinning like a madman. He was getting more hopeful and more bold with every second of seeing Kevin getting flustered because of the things Joaquin did. It was so obvious that Kevin was still attracted to him.  
  
Joaquin saw Betty grinning at him, and he remembered her telling him that she wanted to help him get Kevin back. She took this moment to announce: "Kev, I think we need some help, or we'll never get all the dessert ready. Joaquin, would you mind helping us?"  
  
She smiled sweetly at Joaquin, beckoning him over. Joaquin looked over at Kevin again to see his reaction. Kevin seemed to have gained control again, and he was smiling weakly, but he nodded and even added: "Yes, Joaquin. You could really help, you know how to cook."

Joaquin chuckled, quickly slid off the counter and walked over to the two friends. "Sure, I'll help. But cooking is a bit different than preparing a dessert. What do I have to do?"  
  
"Don't worry, Kevin can show you," Betty interjected quickly and made space for Joaquin to stand next to Kevin.  
  
And so they ended up making some kind of trifle together, their hands touching lightly sometimes, and Joaquin making a big show of licking the remains of whipped cream from his finger, which made Kevin gulp hard and avert his gaze nervously.  
  
All too soon they were finished, and Kevin announced that he wanted to go search for Veronica. But Joaquin was happy all the same because this evening had proved that he still could get under Kevin's skin.  
  
Betty apparently thought the same, because she leaned closer and pointed out: "That went really well I think. He got so flustered when you did that thing with the whipped cream."  
  
"Yeah, desperate times call for desperate measures. I can't believe what I had to do tonight, posing on kitchen counters and licking my fingers. But if it gets Kevin flustered, I got what I wanted."  
  
Betty burst out laughing at that, and Joaquin felt a grin tugging at his lips too, and before he could stop himself, he started laughing too. It was ridiculous, and if someone had told him a year and a half ago, that he would do all those things to get someone's attention, he would have called that person crazy. But ever since he had met Kevin Keller, Joaquin's life had gone through some significant changes.  
  
_"The things you do for love."_ Joaquin thought and wondered what he would do next to win Kevin back.

~

Joaquin was smiling brightly when he met Kevin for their drama club meeting on Monday afternoon. He just had the feeling that things were going well: He knew that Kevin was still attracted to him, they had managed to get along during the last weeks, and things just seemed to be generally much better between them.

Joaquin was hopeful, maybe too hopeful for his own good, but he couldn't help thinking that he could get a second chance for real.  
  
He sat down next to Kevin and got his notebook and pen out of his bag. Then he looked up again and was greeted by Kevin's stern gaze.  
  
"What?" Joaquin asked, feeling uneasy all of a sudden.  
  
"Before we start to work, can we talk about something else for a moment?"  
  
"Sure. About what?"  
  
"Joaquin, you see... I just want to make one thing clear. I am with someone else, and I want to give that thing between him and me a chance. You and I spend quite some time together, and we get along pretty well again, but I just hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. I know I sometimes stare at you and I apologize for that. I just...I still think you are attractive, of course I do, but that doesn't mean I want to jump you. Do you understand that?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Joaquin tried to play it cool, but he guessed his disappointment was showing on his face. And just when he had been so hopeful. He was trying to think of some reply. But before he could say something, Kevin quickly added:  
  
"But that doesn't mean that you can't be a part of my life too! I mean, I like spending time with you."  
  
Joaquin looked at Kevin expectantly. Maybe not everything was lost...  
  
Kevin went on: "I don't want anything romantic between us, but I would like to have you as a friend. I missed being around you. It's so nice to talk to you, and you always make me laugh. So if that is ok with you, I would like us to become friends. Do you think you can do that?"  
  
Joaquin felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Being friends was better than nothing...or instead, it was so much more than that. It meant that Kevin liked him and that he wanted Joaquin around. He knew how Kevin was with his friends, how he cared about them so much and was always going out of his way to help them. Being Kevin's friend meant, that you really mattered to him. And that was why Joaquin couldn't even feel disappointed anymore by being turned down. If Kevin wanted him as his friend, he would definitely say yes.  
  
"Of course. I want to be your friend too! I mean, we are already friends I would say."  
  
And he realized that this was true. Last year he and Kevin had been boyfriends, but they had also been best friends. Had laughed about the same stuff, had teased each other all the time, had been total dorks around each other and it had been wonderful.  
  
Of course, Joaquin would always feel more for Kevin than what you felt for just a friend, but he would take whatever Kevin was willing to give him and if that was his friendship, Joaquin was happy with that. And maybe being friends was just the first step to becoming more than friends later on he thought.  
  
"Great!" Kevin beamed at him. "So I was thinking about the third song...."  
  
And they got back to work on their musical, both totally at ease with the other and Joaquin couldn't help but smile all the while during the rest of the afternoon.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Homecoming! But this year Joaquin has no date, and Kevin has to go alone too because his boyfriend isn't ready to out himself. But maybe Joaquin can play knight in shining armor and ask Kevin for a dance. And Joaquin finds another unexpected ally in his mission to win back Kevin's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Homecoming scene was one of the first scenes I had in mind when I got the idea to write this story. It's something I would love to see in season 3! I hope you like it too. Please let me know what you think. Thanks a lot to everyone, who is reading this fanfiction!

October rolled around, and that meant it was time for Homecoming at Riverdale High. Everyone was in a state of excitement, and the Homecoming dance was seemingly the only thing people talked about. Who would ask whom on a date? Wo would be Homecoming Queen and King? Who would be best dressed?  
  
Joaquin didn't understand the hype. He had never liked Homecoming very much. Last year had been an exception of course because he had attended the Homecoming Dance at Riverdale High as Kevin's date. This year Joaquin was a student at this school himself, but he didn't look forward to the dance.  
  
He hated dancing, he had no date and the one guy he wanted to date, was probably going with Moose. Joaquin asked himself how they would pull that off though. He couldn't imagine Moose being ok with dancing with Kevin in front of the whole school.  
  
Joaquin was actually tempted to just stay away, but his friends wouldn't hear any of it, and part of him wanted to go because he wanted to see Kevin in a suit once again, and so Joaquin gave in and decided to attend that stupid party.  
  
He had to admit that it wasn't even that bad. Fangs and Sweet Pea also had no dates, and so the three of them stayed together and had quite the fun watching the Northsiders. A girl came up to Joaquin once and asked him to dance, which he declined by telling her that he didn't like dancing all that much. But she wouldn't leave and was trying to flirt with him until Joaquin told her that he was gay.  
  
Sweet Pea and Fangs were having the time of their lives next to him. Joaquin rolled his eyes at them. "What is so funny? At least I had someone flirting with me. You losers are still alone."  
  
"They probably think we are each other's date." Fangs said grinning and then added: "Hey Joaquin, that girl made me think of something. Maybe you should really dance with someone. Make Kevin jealous!"  
  
"As if me dancing with a girl would make Kevin jealous."  
  
"Not a girl of course. You can dance with me if you want. I am sacrificing myself for the greater cause."  
  
"That's just stupid. No, we won't do any of that."  
  
"So you are just going to sulk here the whole evening, watching Keller from far away?" Sweet Pea asked.  
  
That was exactly what Joaquin had in mind. They had a pretty good table, from which he could see the whole party, and he was watching Kevin almost all the time.  
  
Kevin looked beautiful in his suit, and Joaquin simply couldn't stop staring. And he wanted to know, whether Moose was going to approach Kevin. So far there had been no sign of that happening. Moose was hanging around with the other Bulldogs, and Kevin was with Betty and Veronica. So far the two girls had been the only ones, who had danced with Kevin. But they had their own dates with them and didn't have the time to entertain Kevin the whole evening.  
  
It made Joaquin angry. He didn't want to see Moose dancing with Kevin, but it still upset him so much that this guy just didn't have the guts to ask his almost-boyfriend for a dance, just because he was afraid what other people would think. Joaquin knew how much Kevin loved social events like this and how much Kevin loved to dance.  
  
Another slow song started to play, and Joaquin couldn't watch it any longer and do nothing, and so he just placed his drink on the table next to him and walked over to Kevin, before he could change his mind.  
  
Kevin looked up at him in surprise. "Joaquin? Hey, what are you doing?"  
  
"Do you want to dance?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Do. You. Want. To. Dance?"  
  
"I heard you, but I don't know what you mean? Dance? You and me?"  
  
"Of course, you and me. I don't see anyone else here."  
  
Joaquin smirked, trying to appear much calmer than he felt. He extended a hand to Kevin, hoping that the other boy would take it. Kevin blinked at him, apparently still undecided, but then sighed and took Joaquin's hand, letting himself get pulled up from his chair. Joaquin led Kevin to the dancefloor and pulled him against him, sliding his arms gently around Kevin's waist, while Kevin's hands instinctively settled on Joaquin's shoulders.  
  
"I thought you hate dancing," Kevin remarked.  
  
"Yes I do, but _you_ love dancing."  
  
"What if I was waiting for someone?"  
  
"I saw Moose dancing with several girls, but he never came over to ask you to dance, so I figured you would spend the whole night sitting there and bore yourself to death."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I know that Moose is your mysterious new guy."  
  
"You know about that, and you still have the nerves to ask me to dance, right in front of his eyes?"  
  
"Yes, if he doesn't want to dance with you, I guess it's ok if someone else does. I couldn't let you sit there all the time. You had one dance with Betty and one with Veronica and that was all."  
  
"You are unbelievable."  
  
"In a good or in a bad way?"  
  
"It's a mix of both."  
  
Joaquin raised an eyebrow at Kevin, and they both started laughing at the same time. The band played more slow songs and Kevin and Joaquin just kept on dancing with each other.  
  
It was different from the last Homecoming of course. Last year they had been each other's date, had spent the whole evening together, holding hands, hugging, kissing and dancing to every slow song. It had been one of the happiest nights of Joaquin's life.  
  
And it had been on this dancefloor, where Kevin had confessed that Joaquin was his first real boyfriend and Joaquin had been about to tell Kevin everything, the whole truth about his involvement with hiding Jason's body. It had just seemed the right moment to do so after Kevin was so open with him too. It had felt as if Kevin was about to take their relationship a step further on that night. An unspoken _"I love you_ " had hung in the air between them and Joaquin had suspected that they both would say it out loud before the night ended. And that was why Joaquin felt the need to tell Kevin the truth. He didn't want any secrets between them if they were really going to confess their love to each other.  
  
He was still often thinking about that night and wondering about what would have changed, if anything had changed at all, if he had managed to tell Kevin the truth back then. But he would never find out because Kevin's dad had entered the room and Kevin had left to talk to him before Joaquin could say anything. And after that everything had gone downhill.  
  
Tonight there were no secrets between them, but that didn't make things easier. Joaquin looked at Kevin cautiously. Kevin seemed to be ok with them being this close. There was even a small smile playing across his features. Another slow song began to play, and Kevin still didn't let go. He even leaned in a bit closer to Joaquin and said:

"Thank you for dancing with me. That's really nice."  
  
Joaquin smiled at him. Suddenly he liked Homecoming much better. Being this close to Kevin and knowing that Kevin was enjoying their time together made him happy.  
  
All too soon the band announced a short break and Kevin slowly pulled away from Joaquin. But he was also smiling, and Joaquin couldn't shake the feeling that this dance had been special to both of them.  
  
Joaquin went back to Fangs and Sweet Pea, who had both been watching him and Kevin. They both looked smug and greeted him with a clap on the shoulder.  
  
"Good job! Keller couldn't get enough of dancing with you. The Serpent charm works every time, right?" Sweet Pea remarked with a huge grin.  
  
Fangs was a bit more sensitive: "You danced for so long! I think you really made Kevin happy. Well done!"  
  
Joaquin smiled at his friends. It was so cool that they were this supportive he thought. They bantered on a bit, but Joaquin couldn't concentrate on what they said, because he was still thinking about every second he had spent with Kevin on that dancefloor. It had felt so good, to be in Kevin's arms again.

Joaquin sighed, he had never expected to ever feel this way. To ever fall in love like this.

Without wanting to his eyes wandered over to where Kevin was standing and Joaquin was thunderstruck when his eyes met Kevin's, and he realized that Kevin had been looking his way too. Joaquin didn't hear his friends anymore, didn't hear anything. He was just locked in this gaze with Kevin and a slow smile spread across his face, directed at this beautiful boy, who would probably always own his heart. And the most magical thing about this moment was, that the same smile was mirrored on Kevin's face.

Their little moment was interrupted abruptly, when someone bumped into Kevin, making him avert his gaze from Joaquin. But Joaquin was still happy, and he turned around too to zone back in on Fangs' and Sweet Pea's bickering.  
  
Joaquin thought nothing eventful would happen during the rest of the evening, but he was wrong. He ran into Moose in front of the restroom, and they both stopped, eying each other suspiciously. It was Moose who spoke up: "I saw you dancing with Kevin."  
  
"Yeah, I did. Why does that concern you?"  
  
"It doesn't...It was just weird to see the two of you together. After what you put him through."  
  
"I figured if _you_ didn't want to dance with him, I should do it. At least _I_ know how much Kevin loves dancing and I am not ashamed to be seen with him."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You know exactly what I mean."  
  
Joaquin didn't wait for a reply, he left Moose standing there and walked back to the festivity. Maybe his little run-in with Kevin's new love interest should have put a stop to his good mood, but surprisingly it didn't. Joaquin and Kevin had shared something special tonight, and he was fully aware of that and judging by the way Kevin had looked at him, he had felt it too.

~

During the next week, Joaquin and Kevin worked again on their musical. Yes, Joaquin called it _their_ musical now. He had begun to be really invested in the whole thing, and not just because of Kevin, he honestly enjoyed working on it. Kevin would show Joaquin the original songs, and then they would try to make their own version. Kevin sticking to the classical musical elements while Joaquin would try to add some twist. And what they had come up with so far, had been amazing and they were both very proud of it.

Joaquin found himself in his tent in the Serpent camp, listening to musical songs and trying to come up with some rock song to mix into it. He would sometimes spend whole evenings like that, even forgetting about meeting his friends at the campfire, until one of them would show up and practically drag him out of his tent.  
  
They teased him about it mercilessly of course.  
  
"You and Keller are both such nerds...no wonder you got along so well last year. Noone else would put up with that!"  
  
"I swear if I ever see you performing in one of those school plays, I'll die from laughter."  
  
But he knew that they were just joking around. Toni had even told him that she definitely wanted to be a part of the musical production again and that she wanted Joaquin to get her a leading role, once the casting started.  
  
On Friday Joaquin went to school super excited because he had worked on another song half of the night and was looking forward to showing it to Kevin. But Kevin was so busy with other projects that they didn't find time to talk. Kevin told him that he would text Joaquin later on, maybe they could meet sometime during the weekend.  
  
Once Joaquin's last class of the week was over, and he was on his way to the Serpent camp, he decided on a sudden impulse to just drive by Kevin's house and see if Kevin was home. Maybe he could show Kevin his song there. He parked his motorcycle in the Keller's driveway, looking intrigued at the house in front of him.  
  
It felt so familiar to be back here. Joaquin had visited Kevin many times last year. Kevin had texted him things like: _"Hey baby, I have the house all to myself, wanna come over?"_ And Joaquin had dropped everything he was currently doing and headed over to the Northside to see Kevin and make good use of their time alone. Joaquin chuckled softly to himself. Those had been such happy times...  
  
He was still grinning when he pressed the bell beside the front door and waited for Kevin to answer. Finally, the door opened.  
  
But it wasn't Kevin, it was his dad. He looked a bit confused at Joaquin and asked: "Hello... Can I help you?"  
  
"Um, hello Mr. Keller. Is Kevin home?"  
  
"Oh, you're here for Kevin?" Kevin's dad looked very interested now and mustered Joaquin from head to toe. "He should be back in a few minutes. Do you want to come in and wait for him?"  
  
The prospect of being alone with the former sheriff was a bit scary, but Joaquin didn't see any other way, and so he nodded quickly and beamed at Kevin's dad:  
  
"Yes, thank you."  
  
Joaquin stepped inside and followed Kevin's dad into the living room. It felt good to be in this house again. It held so many happy memories of Kevin and Joaquin when they had still been a couple, it was almost overwhelming.  
  
Mr. Keller told Joaquin to take a seat on the couch and to Joaquin's horror sat down next to him. A scene of what Kevin and Joaquin had been doing on that couch played before Joaquin's inner eye, and it was extremely weird to sit there with Kevin's dad.  
  
_"Act normal, act normal!"_ Joaquin thought and almost jumped when Kevin's dad addressed him:  
  
"Are you from Kevin's school?"  
  
"Yes, I work with Kevin on the school musical. I wanted to show him some new ideas."  
  
"Ah ok, that sounds great! What is your name?"  
  
"Joaquin."  
  
"Are you a Serpent, Joaquin? Excuse me, but you look a bit like one, and I think I heard FP mentioning a Joaquin."  
  
"Yes, I am... Is that ok?"  
  
"Sure! I have changed my mind about the Serpents. And I am not even the sheriff anymore, so..." Mr. Keller shrugged and grinned at Joaquin. "So the musical! What do you do, what is your part?"  
  
"I am assistant director."  
  
"So you and Kevin work very closely together."  
  
"Yeah, we do."  
  
"I think it's great to see young people so invested in a school project. Kevin is part of so many clubs, but the drama club is his favorite. So you like musicals too?"  
  
"Um, to be honest, musicals are not really my thing. But I like music, and I am pretty good at that subject, and so I signed up for this project. But it has grown on me. I feel like I can bring in my ideas and Kevin knows how to combine them with the classical musical stuff. He is very talented. It's so much fun to work with him."  
  
Joaquin honestly didn't know what he was doing or what was happening here. He was sitting in the Keller's living room with Kevin's dad and was gushing about the school musical and going on about how awesome Kevin was! What had gotten into him? But Kevin's dad was so kind to him, and he seemed genuinely interested.  
  
"That sounds great! I am glad Kevin found such a motivated assistant director. Did you two just meet now because of the school project, or did you already know each other?"  
  
Joaquin's heart dropped into his pants. What should he say? He would just go with the truth, at least as much as possible...but he was saved from answering by the sound of the front door opening, signaling Kevin's arrival.  
  
"Hey Kevin, come here, you have a guest." Mr. Keller greeted his son.  
  
"A guest?"  
  
"Joaquin is here, to talk about the musical."  
  
"What?"  
  
Kevin stopped in the door leading into the living room, staring at the picture before him. Joaquin could imagine how unbelievable it must look to Kevin: His dad and Joaquin sitting next to each other on the couch and seemingly getting along very well.  
  
Joaquin raised a hand, waving slightly at Kevin.  
  
"Hi Kevin, sorry for just dropping by like this, but you said we could meet on the weekend and I thought I would just check whether you were home when I was on my way to the camp."  
  
"Ok...that's...um good."  
  
"I think it's very nice that Joaquin helps you and is so invested in the musical." Mr. Keller offered.  
  
"Yeah, that's cool." Kevin still seemed to be unable to comprehend what was going on.  
  
Mr. Keller looked from his son to Joaquin and back again, a little smile playing across his features and then said: "Ok boys, I have some work to do too! Have fun! And Joaquin, it would be nice to see you again sometime. If you two need to work on the musical, you can meet here anytime."  
  
Joaquin gave Kevin's dad his sweetest smile and said: "That's very kind, thank you, Mr. Keller."  
  
Kevin was still standing in the doorway, looking baffled. "But dad...I thought you had the rest of the day off. There are you going?"  
  
His dad walked past him, clapping Kevin on the back and said: "Oh I forgot something...I'll be back in a few hours. Why don't you grab something to drink and a few snacks from the kitchen for Joaquin and you? It will probably take some time to get your work done."  
  
Kevin nodded weakly, and Joaquin had to suppress a grin, Kevin's dad was really leaving so they could be alone?  
  
_"I think he wants to set Kevin up with me."_ Joaquin thought incredulously.  
  
He quickly got up from the couch and offered to help Kevin, which earned him another approving look from Mr. Keller, before the ex-sheriff finally left the house to drive to wherever he planned to spend the next few hours.  
  
Kevin and Joaquin collected something to drink and eat and settled down on the couch to work on the new ideas Joaquin had.  
  
"I think my dad likes you," Kevin said suddenly.  
  
"You make that sound as if I am hard to like."  
  
"No, I didn't mean that. It's just...I was so afraid to introduce you to him last year, and now you just waltz in here, and he seems to be your biggest fan. It's ironic."  
  
"Yeah, but I guess things would have been different last year. He changed his opinion about the Serpents, so it's much easier now. He didn't seem to have a problem at all with me being a Serpent."  
  
It made Joaquin relieved but at the same time sad, thinking about how Kevin's dad really seemed to like him and the way he had looked from Joaquin to Kevin and had told Joaquin to come over whenever he wanted. It had seemed as if he was trying to play matchmaker between his son and Joaquin. They would even have Mr. Keller's approval! But the sad part was that Kevin didn't want Joaquin anymore.  
  
That realization hit Joaquin hard at that moment. It was unfair, like dangling something you wanted so very much in front of your nose, just barely out of reach, so you could never reach it. Kevin and Joaquin spend so many hours together again, they talked almost every day, Kevin's friends wanted them to get back together, even Kevin's dad tried to set them up! And Kevin was sitting so close to Joaquin right now, close enough so Joaquin could just lean over and kiss him, and it was so tempting to do just that, but Joaquin knew that he would destroy all the progress he had made by doing that. But his fingers were itching with the urge to reach out and touch Kevin and sitting on this damn couch, where they had used to make out on so many occasions, made things even worse.  
  
Somehow Joaquin always came to this point, when spending time with Kevin. At first, he would be happy that he could be close to Kevin and would enjoy talking to him and then all of a sudden he would get sad because he knew that no matter how close they were, it was never close enough. Kevin's heart didn't belong to Joaquin anymore.  
  
Joaquin wondered whether Kevin was thinking about Moose right now, maybe he had even made plans for Moose to come over later on. And with that thought, the next emotion crept up to Joaquin: jealousy. _He_ wanted to be the one, who Kevin kissed, who Kevin thought about all the time. _He_ wanted to be Kevin's boyfriend.  
  
Joaquin was startled out of his thoughts, by Kevin lightly touching his arm.  
  
"Everything ok, Joaquin?"  
  
"Um, yeah. Sorry I was just..." And Joaquin thought once again of his vow to never lie again, and he added resignedly: "It's this couch. I can't stop thinking about the things we did here the last times I was visiting you."  
  
"You know what? It's the same for me! I can't concentrate at all."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Sure, what did you think? As if I could ever forget that."  
  
Joaquin could just stare at Kevin. He didn't know what to make of this. So Kevin thought about them making out on this couch too? And once again Joaquin's treacherous heart started beating faster than it should when talking to just a friend.  
  
He looked at Kevin hopefully and was met by the sight of Kevin being obviously uncomfortable. He was looking sheepishly at Joaquin, scratching his neck.  
  
Joaquin took pity on Kevin and suggested to go into the kitchen and work there. They hadn't done anything in there...but then he realized that this wasn't true. When Joaquin had spent the whole night at Kevin's last year, they had made pancakes for breakfast together and had taken about an hour for the task, because they hadn't been able to keep from kissing every few seconds.  
  
Joaquin tried to think of some other safe place, but he honestly couldn't come up with one. They had been all over each other everytime they had met in Kevin's house.  
  
Kevin seemed to come to the same conclusion because he let out a weak little laugh. "Yeah let's go to the kitchen. We'll just refrain from making pancakes this time."  
  
It was awkward at first, now that they were both reminded of how they had kissed and made out and did other things all over the Keller's house, but after a while, they thankfully settled into their new routine.  
  
When Joaquin left an hour later, Kevin accompanied him to the front door, and Joaquin was a bit delirious, because of everything that had happened since he had arrived at the Keller's house today. How Kevin's dad had reacted so positive towards him, Kevin and Joaquin both remembering all of the moments they had shared in here as boyfriends, working with Kevin on their musical project and Kevin being full of praise for Joaquin's new ideas. All of this lead to Joaquin not thinking, but just acting and pulling Kevin into a hug, instead of just waving at him for a goodbye.  
  
"Bye, Kevin. See you."  
  
Kevin didn't react at all for a little moment, and Joaquin was already beginning to regret his move, but suddenly Kevin's arms went around Joaquin too, and Kevin hugged him lightly back.  
  
"Yeah, see you on Monday."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joaquin and Kevin are finally getting closer again, working on the musical, spending time in Kevin's room and sharing some sweet moments. Things are looking good, Joaquin thinks, and Betty and Veronica definitely agree. But is Kevin ready to accept his growing feelings for Joaquin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: Thank you so much for your sweet comments and for the kudos! It's so encouraging to see that people actually enjoy reading this story! You are amazing!  
> I think this chapter turned out really sweet. Lots of fluffy moments between our boys. I hope you like it. Please let me know, what you think.

During the next two weeks, Joaquin was constantly caught between feeling happy because he got to spend time with Kevin and was able to talk to him and laugh with him and hug him sometimes, and feeling discouraged because Kevin was still with Moose. And Joaquin noticed how Moose actually got a bit bolder, standing close to Kevin and talking to him a lot in public. It broke Joaquin's heart all over again, anytime he had to witness it. But there were also moments that gave him hope. Like when Veronica walked up to him in the school hallway and linked her arm with his, dragging him along.

"Hey loverboy, I just wanted to give you an update on the Kevin situation."  
  
"An update?"  
  
"Yes, because Kevin likes to talk a lot, as you surely know, and he and I had a sleepover yesterday, so I know everything now. He talked about you too..."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He said that at first, he was upset that you were back, but now he has come to like it. He likes working with you on the musical, and he thinks it's nice to spend time with you. And now comes the important part! He said that sometimes it is hard to sit in his room with you and not touch you because everything in his room reminds him of you...and all the naughty stuff you were up to there. And it bothers Kevin. You make him nervous, that's good!"  
  
"But he seems to be getting closer with Moose lately."  
  
"I know, but that doesn't mean a thing, trust me. I asked him last night, and he said that Moose still isn't ready to out himself anytime soon."  
  
"Do you...do you know whether Kevin..does he love Moose?"  
  
Just asking this question hurt. Joaquin wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear an answer. If Veronica said yes, it would destroy him. He suddenly hated himself for being so stupid as to ask something like that.  
  
Veronica came to an abrupt halt and looked up at Joaquin worriedly.  
  
"This really upsets you, doesn't it? You still care so much about Kevin."  
  
Joaquin could only nod.  
  
Veronica sighed, patting his arm gently. "Kevin doesn't love Moose. He likes him, but it's not the same as it was with you. I feel like Kevin just settled for Moose because he was the only option left. And now he is trying his best to create the relationship he wants to have, but as long as Moose doesn't want that, it will never work I think."  
  
Joaquin felt so relieved. This meant he had an actual chance and he would definitely try his best to convince Kevin that he was the better option.  
  
A few days later Betty pulled Joaquin aside and told him, that Kevin had vented to her about Moose.  
  
"He was so upset that he called me in the middle of the night because he couldn't sleep. Apparently, Moose had been over at Kevin's house, and Kevin's dad came home. Kevin wanted to introduce Moose to his dad, as his boyfriend. But Moose freaked out and told him to shut up and then just left."  
  
Joaquin was actually glad that Moose was nowhere in sight because he wouldn't have been able to not go over to the Bulldog and tell him what exactly he thought about this shitty behavior.  
  
Maybe Joaquin should have been happy about Moose turning Kevin down once again, but he couldn't be pleased about something which obviously must have hurt Kevin really bad. And so the emotion he felt mostly was anger. How could someone not want to be Kevin's official boyfriend? Joaquin didn't get it.  
  
But Betty wasn't finished yet: "I told Kevin to finally end things with Moose, but he still clings to their relationship. But I made sure to remind him how happy he used to be with you. How nice it was that you both were so open about being boyfriends."  
  
"What did he say then?"  
  
"He agreed. Said that you were actually everything he had ever wished for."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"I know right? That's so great! I mean sure he still is being stubborn and doesn't want to give Moose up, but I give them a week max. He knows full well that Moose will never be the kind of guy that you are. And if you ask me, Kevin is beginning to have feelings for you again. He didn't outright admit it, but the way he talks about you is very suspicious. He mentions you all the time and compliments your ideas for the musical and how nice you are to his dad...You are definitely back in his head."  
  
Joaquin couldn't stop grinning after hearing that. Maybe there was really hope. He walked into the drama club meeting still wearing that huge grin and feeling rather bold. So when Kevin asked him why he was grinning like that, Joaquin answered him: "I just like seeing your pretty face."

Kevin's eyes went wide before he chuckled and playfully smacked Joaquin's arm. But after a short moment he said: "Well, your face is pretty nice to look at too."  
  
And Joaquin felt like this was a great victory because it was the first time since his return to Riverdale that Kevin had flirted back.

 ~

Two days later, Joaquin was once again over at Kevin's to work on a new song. Joaquin was sitting on the floor of Kevin's room, leaning against the bed with his notes sprawled all over the floor in front of him, while Kevin was sitting on his chair at the desk, but turned towards Joaquin, balancing his notes on his lap.  
  
It looked a bit chaotic, and if they were honest with themselves, it really was just that. It had been a long day for both of them and working on the new song had proofed to be more complicated than they had expected. They had come up with several different versions, but abandoned each one again after a short time, not happy with the outcome.  
  
It was already dark outside, and Joaquin's mind had started to drift off. Veronica had told him that Kevin found it hard to be in his room with Joaquin because it reminded him of their time as boyfriends. Joaquin had noticed Kevin staring at him sometimes when he had looked up from his notes. Their eyes had met across the room, and they both seemed to be unable to look away until it got awkward and they would both say something random at the same time, just to ease the tension.  
  
Joaquin had always liked Kevin's room. Kevin had told him, that he thought it was not much, too small and too dark and not cool enough. But Joaquin had walked in here the first time and instantly felt at home. It was cozy and a bit geeky, with all of Kevin's board games and his movie and musical fanstuff. It represented the person Kevin was, and that was what Joaquin liked so much. He liked all the neatly folded clothes in Kevin's closet and the picture collage with photos of the Keller family and Kevin's friends. He liked all of the old childhood memories plastered all over the walls, old pictures, awards and price cups from all kinds of school clubs. It was the room of a boy, who was well loved and protected and lived in a happy home.  
  
And Joaquin liked the bed with lots of fluffy pillows and blankets which was perfect for watching movies and tv shows while cuddling. He sighed, remembering how nice it had been to do that with Kevin. Here in this room, Joaquin had been able to imagine how his life would have been if he had been born on the other side of the tracks. And it had amazed him how naturally Kevin had allowed him to be a part of this world. A world in which your biggest problem was, which show you wanted to start next on Netflix. A world in which saying _"I'll go out, see you later"_ meant you were going to Pop's to meet your friends and drink a milkshake, instead of going out to do your work for the Serpents, selling weed or getting into fights with rival gangs. Joaquin had felt safe when he was in Kevin's room as if he was in a happy little bubble, where nothing bad could reach him.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the loud growling of Kevin's stomach. Joaquin raised an eyebrow at Kevin, and they both laughed.  
  
Kevin got up from his chair. "No wonder my stomach is making funny noises. We haven't eaten anything since lunch! I'll get us something to drink and eat. You can wait here, I won't take long."  
  
Joaquin smiled at him gratefully "Ok, thank you."  
  
He watched Kevin walking out of his room and lazily slumped back against the bed yawning. He had only had a few hours of sleep last night, being plagued by nightmares once again and after the long day, he found himself longing for a bit of rest. He decided that it wouldn't hurt to lie down a bit on Kevin's bed while Kevin was in the kitchen.  
  
He rolled onto his side, hugging Kevin's pillow with one arm, making himself comfortable. And was hit by Kevin's familiar smell. Kevin's hair wax and his cologne. Joaquin knew it was pathetic, but he couldn't stop himself from burying his face in the soft pillow, breathing in deeply and smiling like an idiot. Memories of him and Kevin in this bed came back to him.  
  
Joaquin had spent several nights here when Kevin's dad had been at work the whole night. It had been the first time he had ever spent the entire night with a guy, and he had loved every second of it. Waking up in Kevin's arms, cuddling for an hour before getting up, showering with Kevin, preparing breakfast together...  
  
He closed his eyes and snuggled comfortably into the pillow and blanket. Just a few moments longer...  
  
He was startled awake minutes later by Kevin's voice.  
  
"I made some sandwiches, I hope that's ok!"  
  
Joaquin blinked sleepily at Kevin, who was standing in the doorway, looking over at Joaquin in his bed. "Um...I must have fallen asleep...sorry." Joaquin mumbled.  
  
"Oh...no don't be sorry. That's alright." Kevin was staring at him, and Joaquin couldn't shake the feeling that it was unsettling Kevin to see Joaquin lying in his bed. It probably made him think of the times they had spent in this bed together too.  
  
Joaquin sat up and ran a hand through his hair, trying to straighten it again. Kevin finally got his senses back and walked into the room, setting down a tray of sandwiches and coke onto his desk.  
  
"I guess you don't get much sleep at the Serpent camp. It's probably uncomfortable sleeping in a tent the whole time, and with all those people it gets pretty loud at times. No wonder you are tired."  
  
It would have been easy to just say yes and let it go. But Joaquin once again reminded himself that he never wanted to lie to Kevin ever again, and so he sighed and said: "That's not the problem. You know me, I've learned to sleep anywhere. But I have nightmares, and they keep me up."  
  
"Oh...that sounds awful." Kevin looked at him, and Joaquin was surprised to see such concern on his ex-boyfriend's face. "Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it helps telling someone about your nightmares."  
  
"I always dream about the same stuff. Helping FP getting rid of Jason's body...I will never be able to get over that I think. It still haunts me."  
  
"God...I can understand that. Joaquin...I am so sorry. That sounds really bad."  
  
Joaquin smiled sadly. Maybe he shouldn't have said more, but now that he had started to tell Kevin about his nightmares he couldn't stop himself from telling the whole story. "The worst dreams are the ones involving you though...I was so worried about you when I had to leave Riverdale, and I had no way to find out, whether you were ok. That was when those nightmares started. I dreamt about you getting hurt...or worse. I still have those dreams sometimes."  
  
He had looked down to the floor while telling Kevin this, staring fixedly at a little stain on the carpet, probably some coffee that had been spilled once. So Joaquin didn't see Kevin's face, but he heard him gasp. And the next thing he knew, Kevin crossed the little room in a few steps, sat down next to Joaquin and pulled him into a tight hug. "I am so sorry, Joaquin!"  
  
Nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of Kevin's arms around him again. Joaquin's arms had automatically gone around Kevin too and he practically melted against the other boy, resting his head on Kevin's shoulder. This was so familiar and so soothing. Joaquin had always loved how strong Kevin was, so tall and those strong arms from all the Wrestling training. In Kevin's arms, Joaquin had allowed himself for the first time in his life to be weak. He just knew that it was ok. He was safe with Kevin, he didn't have to act tough or indifferent, didn't have to appear strong all the time, but could allow himself to be soft.  
  
And the same thing happened again now. He sighed and just snuggled against Kevin, letting Kevin hold him and take care of him.  
  
"I am so sorry for never replying to your texts," Kevin said in a thick voice. "God, you asked me so often, whether I was ok and I just ignored it. I didn't think it would be that bad for you...I didn't think at all. I just thought about myself. But you had to go through so much, and you were all alone. And on top of that, you were worried about me and had nightmares! I wish I could turn back time and do things differently. Honestly, I feel so bad about it now."  
  
Kevin sounded so upset, his voice shaking a bit and Joaquin just thought desperately: _"Please don't cry Kevin, please don't cry!"_ Because he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from crying too if that happened.  
  
He took a deep breath and then answered: "It wasn't your fault. You had every right to ignore me...and you are here for me now. Thank you."  
  
Kevin slowly pulled away, looking inquiringly at Joaquin, as if checking whether he really meant it. Joaquin gave him a small but genuine smile. He was a bit high right now he guessed, from being this close to Kevin, on Kevin's bed out of all places. His heart was beating so fast, he feared Kevin could hear it. _"I am happy."_ he realized.  
  
And he was so thankful that Kevin had reacted this way, that he was so caring and so sweet. And if it would have been possible, Joaquin would have fallen even more in love with Kevin right there and then.  
  
"Thank you, Preppy."  
  
The pet name just fell from his lips before he could stop himself and Joaquin quickly added: "Sorry, I mean Kevin."  
  
But Kevin just chuckled and said: "It's ok, call me Preppy again, if you want. I actually always liked it, when you called me that. Sorry for being such an ass about it."  
  
Joaquin grinned back at him:"That's great, Preppy. Thanks. I love to call you Preppy. Preppy is such a perfect name for you. Preppy, Preppy, Preppy. I am so happy I can finally say it again...Preppy."  
  
Kevin shook his head and said: "Don't make me regret this." But he was smiling, and Joaquin knew that everything was fine between them.

~  
  
Later that night, Joaquin was lying in his tent in the Serpent camp, tired but unable to fall asleep, because he couldn't stop grinning and thinking about his evening with Kevin. Falling asleep in Kevin's bed and how Kevin had stared when he caught him, Kevin comforting him when Joaquin told him about his nightmares...and of course that hug.  
  
Afterwards, they had both sat down on the floor, the tray between them and had eaten their sandwiches, while talking about the new song, but they both had been too tired and lazy to really put much effort into it, and soon decided to call it a night.  
  
Joaquin had feared at first that the hug would maybe make things weird between them, but luckily that hadn't been the case. After they had finished their sandwiches, Joaquin collected his notes which were still strewn all over the floor and grabbed his leather jacket, getting ready to head to the camp.  
  
He had been surprised when Kevin spoke up behind him: "Here. Take this with you." Joaquin had turned around to see Kevin holding out one of his pillows to Joaquin. "I guess you could use one more pillow for your tent, makes it a bit more comfortable, and I don't really need that many pillows. And maybe it helps you if you have a nightmare...reminds you that I am ok...." Kevin trailed off, sounding unsure all of a sudden.  
  
Joaquin had made an embarrassing sound, something between a sob and a giggle and had reached out to take the pillow. He hadn't even been able to talk, just bit his lip and grinned like a madman. And it took all of his remaining self-control not to kiss Kevin.  
  
Kevin had seen him to the door, and they had hugged once again and said their goodbyes, and Joaquin had finally managed to thank Kevin for the pillow.  
  
And now he was hugging that pillow to his chest, sniffing at it every few minutes and smiling when he caught another whiff of Kevin's cologne. He managed to fall sleep finally despite his racing heart, and he didn't have any nightmares. But he dreamed of Kevin lying on a giant pile of fluffy pillows and telling Joaquin to come cuddle with him. And Dream-Joaquin had, of course, listened to what Dream-Kevin told him to do and joined him on the pillow pile and they had kissed and cuddled, and Joaquin had been really annoyed when his alarm clock went off, and he was ripped out of his dream, just when things were getting steamy.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin isn't happy about the way his relationship with Moose is going, Joaquin tries to offer him comfort, and in the end, they get closer than ever since Joaquin's return to Riverdale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will probably love and hate this chapter haha. Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading my story and for leaving kudos and comments! It makes me so happy to see that people enjoy this. I love you guys!

Working on the musical had become Joaquin's favorite thing. He got to spend time with Kevin, talking to him, listening to Kevin sing, touching him occasionally, and he had Kevin's undivided attention. Joaquin was very pleased that it was usually just the two of them for now and he was already dreading the moment they would do the casting and would have to meet in a larger group. But now everything was still exactly how Joaquin wanted it. Kevin and him all alone and sitting so close that their arms were brushing all the time.  
  
Joaquin was showing Kevin what he had been working on last night, and he was pretty proud of it and knew that Kevin would love it too and probably compliment him, which was something Joaquin always loved. But he soon realized that Kevin seemed to be far away today, he didn't even seem to hear Joaquin.  
  
Joaquin stopped talking and looked at the other boy, who was just staring into space, not even looking in Joaquin's direction.  
  
"Kevin, are you ok?"  
  
"Yes... um no actually I am not. Sorry I am really distracted today."  
  
"Do you want to talk?"  
  
"I don't know...it might be strange..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Kevin sighed, "You see it's because of Moose. I don't think you are the right person to talk to about this topic."  
  
"But I am your friend! And that's what friends do. Listen to your problems and try to help you. You can tell me everything."  
  
"Oh, whatever...I am just so annoyed right now. I am trying to be patient with him, but he isn't even willing to take a little step towards outing himself. I wanted to go on a date, watch a movie at the Bijou. I thought that would be ok. To a bystander, we would look like two friends seeing a movie together and in there it would be dark enough so Moose wouldn't feel too embarrassed to maybe hold my hand at least. But even that was too risky for his taste. We ended up watching Netflix in his room, while his parents were at some dinner party."  
  
Joaquin gulped. It was obvious how hurt Kevin was by this, and it made Joaquin get sad too and angry... Moose apparently didn't even know how lucky he was to call Kevin Keller his. Joaquin reached out and gently touched Kevin's arm.  
  
"That's really shitty. Do you think he will ever be brave enough to out himself? I don't know...it doesn't seem as if he is willing to take the next step."  
  
"I honestly don't know anymore. I believed him when he told me that he wanted us to be together and that he would come out. I mean I try to be understanding. Moose's parents are very conservative regarding such things, and they will probably freak out, but I just don't see why he wants to keep on living like that. Always hiding his true self."  
  
But Joaquin knew all too well. He had known several guys like that. Had met them in some dark corners to fool around a bit, until they had to head back home to their little pretend world in which they were the perfect, straight sons. He hadn't cared, because they had meant nothing to him, but he had still found it tragic, that they had to live like that.  
  
For a short moment he felt bad for Moose, but then he decided that there was no reason for that. Moose could have just told Kevin that he wanted nothing serious from the start.  
  
"I think it's not ok that he got your hopes up."  
  
"Yeah...I agree.  
  
"Preppy, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Why do you still want to be with him? I mean, he obviously doesn't want the same thing you want."  
  
Kevin ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it a bit in the process...a sure sign that he was really upset because usually, he would never do something to mess up his hairdo like that in public.  
  
"Honestly? I don't have an answer to that..."  
  
And that really turned Joaquin's world upside down. Did that mean that Kevin was about to break up with Moose? Joaquin had problems breathing all of a sudden, he bit his lip and looked at Kevin, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to sound too enthusiastic about the prospect of Kevin ending things with his current boyfriend, because that would just be mean, wouldn't it? But if Joaquin was honest, he just wanted to break out into a grin and hug Kevin and ask him to be _his_ boyfriend again. On the other hand, it was probably too soon to get his hopes up. Even if Kevin broke up with Moose, that didn't mean that he would want to get with Joaquin again, right?  
  
He must have looked like an idiot, overthinking everything, because Kevin waved a hand in front of his eyes, "Um Joaquin? Everything ok with you? You seem to be somewhere else."  
  
"Oh...yeah sure. Sorry about that, I was just...I don't know, what to say to you."  
  
He could have cursed himself for saying that, it sounded weird. He had offered Kevin his help, and now he was acting that way... but Kevin nodded in understanding and reached out to pat Joaquin's hand.  
  
"I know what you mean. It's a really twisted situation. You don't have to say anything. Thank you for listening to me. This was very nice of you, and it actually helped me. Just saying it out loud helps."  
  
Joaquin smiled at Kevin. "You are welcome, Preppy. Oh and...your hair is all messed up now, maybe you should fix it before walking around school."  
  
Kevin chuckled and tried to smooth his hair down a bit, but failed without a mirror and so Joaquin sighed and just reached out and helped Kevin. It felt so nice to touch that soft hair again...Joaquin had always loved to run his fingers through the silky strands, ruffling them on purpose. And he had also loved to caress the short hair on the nape of Kevin's neck...and Kevin had enjoyed it too when Joaquin did that, always making the most endearing little sounds.  
  
And Kevin was making a sound now too, a surprised gasp escaped his lips, and he looked at Joaquin with big eyes. Joaquin smiled and drew back, satisfied with how Kevin's hair looked now.  
  
"There you go, every hair in place again."  
  
"Th..thank you."  
  
Oh Kevin was so flustered, and it made Joaquin smile even more at him, and it also made him bolder, and so he said: "Such a pretty boy."  
  
Kevin bit his lip and giggled, and it was so cute, that it made butterflies fly in Joaquin's stomach.

"You are such a flirt, Joaquin...I kind of missed that. That was always so funny."  
  
"Yeah I know right? I just can't help it, when I am around you, I always get inspired to say those things."  
  
A grin spread across Kevin's face, and he shook his head amusedly. They continued their work, and Joaquin was happy to see that Kevin seemed to be in a much better mood now, cheered up by their little banter. It did funny things to Joaquin's heart to know that he was the reason for Kevin to smile again.  
  
~  
  
A few days later Kevin had once again invited Joaquin over to his house, and Joaquin couldn't stop himself from grinning the whole day. It was always special when he got to see Kevin at home. It was so intimate, and he had the feeling that Kevin had started to like those moments too and finally felt comfortable with Joaquin being close to him again.  
  
Joaquin made sure to do his hair really nice, he wanted to look his best for Kevin after all. Maybe it was stupid, but he always got so excited when he was meeting Kevin. He checked his reflection in the mirror once again and decided he looked fine, grabbed his leather jacket and walked towards the spot outside the camp where they had their motorcycles parked. Sweet Pea and Toni were leaning against their bikes, and both grinned at Joaquin.  
  
"On your way to another date with your boy?" Toni asked him.  
  
"Of course he is. Look at his hair! How long did you take for that?"  
  
"Oh stop it you two," Joaquin chuckled, "Yeah I am going over to the Keller's house. But I guess it's only a work date."  
  
"I don't know...he invites you over to his house pretty often. Seems a bit suspicious to me." Toni winked at him.  
  
And Sweet Pea added: "I don't trust Keller at all, he is probably trying to get into your pants and then his dad catches you and kills you or something. You should tell him to come here if he wants to meet you."  
  
"Actually his dad likes me, and I think he would be happy if something was going on between his son and me...and trust me I never expected to ever say that. But it is true. He likes me."  
  
Sweet Pea was about to say something in return, but Toni stopped him with a hand on his arm and quickly said: "Have fun, Joaquin. And good luck. You are looking extra pretty today, I am sure Kevin will notice that too."  
  
Joaquin smiled and quickly got on his motorcycle, leaving his friends behind and making his way towards Kevin's house. He arrived at the Keller's driveway and immediately spotted Kevin sitting on the stairs of the front porch. He looked up as he heard Joaquin's motorcycle and gave Joaquin a small wave. Joaquin smiled and parked his bike and went over to Kevin.  
  
"Hey Preppy, what are you doing out here?"  
  
"I have a bit of a headache, and I thought the fresh air would do me some good. Is it ok with you, if we work here?"  
  
"Sure. Scoot over."  
  
Joaquin sat down next to Kevin and got his notes out. They worked on their new song for a while, but Joaquin could tell that Kevin wasn't really into it. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. Joaquin looked at Kevin cautiously, wondering what was wrong. Kevin seemed to be ok, but there was something a bit off. Joaquin explained a new idea to Kevin, but he didn't get any reaction, Kevin just kept staring at his hands. Probably his headache, Joaquin thought.  
  
"Kevin? Did you hear me? Where is your mind? Is it because of your headache? Do you want to stop? You can lie down a bit if you want."  
  
Kevin blinked at him in surprise and shook his head slightly.  
  
"Oh no, it's just that...I broke up with Moose."  
  
_What?_ Joaquin didn't dare to believe his own ears...could it really be? All of a sudden he had problems breathing and his heart was racing, making him feel lightheaded. He stared at Kevin and probably looked like an idiot, but he just couldn't help it. This was too good to be true! But the next thought that crossed his mind was, that it was mean of him to be glad about this. Kevin broke up with his boyfriend. This meant that Kevin was probably sad and Joaquin shouldn't feel happy about this! But it was all Joaquin had wished for...He realized that Kevin was waiting for a reaction and tried to get a grip again.  
  
"Really? Wow...that's. Um, I should probably say sorry or something, but actually, I think this is good. You are better off without him." Joaquin blurted out. Oh god, he hoped this was the right thing to say. He eyed Kevin worriedly and was relieved when Kevin didn't seem to be upset.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I mean I gave this a try, and I wanted it to work out, but it just didn't. I didn't want to waste any more time with someone, who will never commit himself to me fully."  
  
Joaquin nodded. "Yes I understand that...but it still must be hard for you. Did you...did you like him? For real I mean?"  
  
"I don't know. I mean I like him, yes, but it wasn't... I have only one relationship to compare this too. And I definitely didn't like Moose the way I liked you. It was very different. But I hoped that we could find a way to make things work and that our feelings would grow eventually. That wasn't the case though, and it's ok. It was the right decision to end it with him."  
  
Kevin nodded as if to reassure himself and smiled softly at Joaquin, before gazing out over the driveway, seemingly lost in thought once again. Joaquin followed his gaze, and they just sat like that, looking out at the street in front of the Keller's house, a comfortable silence settling around them. It was already getting pretty dark, and the streetlights went on. There was no one else in sight, not even a car passing by, it was just Kevin and Joaquin.  
  
Joaquin had always loved those quiet moments with Kevin. Most of the times they would lie on Kevin's bed, hold each other and just talk. Joaquin had never in his life felt so at peace as in those moments. Kevin's arms around him and listening to Kevin's soft voice. It had been the first time Joaquin had understood what being safe meant, or what people meant when they said that their heart had found a home with another person. It was exactly how he felt about Kevin. And Joaquin would have gladly spent the rest of his life, cuddling Kevin and listening to him talk.  
  
The only downside had been that Joaquin had to keep so many secrets at that time and he had often felt so bad in those moments because Kevin was pouring his heart out to him, while Joaquin couldn't give him anything in return.  
  
But now things were different, and it was one thing that had actually improved ever since they met again. There were no more secrets or lies between them, and it allowed Joaquin to enjoy those quiet moments even more. He felt like he could finally give Kevin something back. Even if they were just talking as friends, and not as lovers.  
  
And that was why Joaquin spoke up again, breaking the silence: "I also think it was the right decision. You deserve something better than what he was willing to give you. You deserve someone, who is proud to be your boyfriend. Someone who shows you off to all his friends, not someone who hides you away."  
  
He looked at Kevin and Kevin returned his gaze and nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's what I want to have."

And suddenly Joaquin threw all caution to the wind and said: "Kevin... If you ever change your mind about me... I just want you to know that I will be waiting for you. You said you need a friend right now and I will gladly be your friend forever. But if you ever want something more than that again, just know that I want that too. I still want you."  
  
Maybe he should have waited a bit longer before he told Kevin that. There was probably some unwritten law that you didn't hit on someone right after they broke up with some other guy, but Joaquin had always been the type to just act and think afterward.  
  
He prayed silently that it wouldn't scare Kevin away, what he had just said. But Kevin smiled at him softly and did Joaquin just imagine it, or was Kevin leaning closer?  
  
Yes, Kevin was definitely leaning closer, his gaze slipping to Joaquin's lips. Joaquin's breath caught in his throat. _"He's going to kiss me!"_ he thought and he edged slowly closer to Kevin too, his eyes already closing and he was just waiting to finally feel Kevin's lips on his again, then suddenly a car pulled up in the driveway, the bright headlights blinding them and startling them apart.  
  
They literally sat there like two deer caught in the headlights. Joaquin realized that it was the Keller's truck. Kevin's dad had picked the absolutely worst time to return home. Joaquin was inwardly cursing his luck. After all those months, after all the heartbreak, all the longing and wishing, they had finally been about to kiss, and then this happened!  
  
He and Kevin had both jumped at the unexpected arrival of the car and had quickly moved apart, both staring over at the truck now, not daring to look at each other.  
  
Kevin's dad reluctantly stepped out of the car and walked over to them, looking uncomfortable, scratching his neck. He stopped in front of them, and Joaquin could see regret written all over the former sheriff's face.  
  
"Hey boys. Sorry for interrupting you."  
  
Of course, he had seen what was going on, and while it was nice to know that he seemed to approve of Kevin and Joaquin kissing each other, it didn't manage to lift Joaquin's mood much. He was just so annoyed that their moment had been stolen away from them.  
  
"It's late, I have to go anyways," Joaquin said, looking anxiously at Kevin while getting up. "Hello and bye, Mr. Keller."  
  
"Good night, Joaquin. I hope I'll see you around soon again."  
  
"I'll walk you to your motorcycle" Kevin was quick to say, and he hurriedly got up too and followed Joaquin.  
  
They walked the few steps to Joaquin's motorcycle in silence, and once they arrived, Joaquin waited for Kevin to say something.  
  
"Um, have a safe drive. I...what you said to me...that was so sweet, Joaquin."  
  
"It was just the truth, Preppy."  
  
"Thank you, honestly. For being there for me tonight and for not giving up on me."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Kevin looked back at the house for a moment, checking what his dad was doing, but the ex-sheriff had already gone inside. "Can't wait to hear what my dad has to say to his terrible timing. I guess he will buy me those new shoes I wanted now because he wants to make up for ruining our evening."  
  
They looked at each other, both grinning and Joaquin was relieved that the situation had gone over this well. Kevin didn't seem to regret their almost kiss.  
  
Joaquin got on his motorcycle and waved at Kevin.  
  
"Good night Preppy, sleep well."  
  
"You too. Hey, can you send me a text when you have arrived at the camp?"  
  
Joaquin almost started to cry. This had been something Kevin had always asked for when they had still been together. He had always wanted to know that Joaquin had arrived safely, always asked him to send a text. Joaquin had been so amazed about this because it was something he had never experienced before: That someone was worried about him like that. And to know that Kevin wanted this reassurance again now did things to Joaquin's heart.  
  
"Of course." he managed to whisper with a small smile.  
  
Kevin gave him a little wave too and walked back towards the house, giving Joaquin a moment to regain his senses before he felt ok enough to drive back to the camp. But he was still a mess, smiling like a lunatic and feeling like his heart would explode. But he arrived in one piece and made sure to send Kevin a text: _"Made it back to the camp. Good night, Preppy."_  before he walked towards his tent. In his mind, he was replaying the moment when Kevin had leaned in and was about to kiss him over and over again. He was so lost in thought that he almost stumbled over Fangs, who was sitting in front of Joaquin's tent, apparently waiting for his return.  
  
"Careful! I am sitting here, you know!?" Fangs exclaimed, startling Joaquin out of his thoughts about Kevin.  
  
Joaquin stopped and waited until Fangs got up. "What are you doing here, Fangs?"  
  
"I just wanted to know how your date with Kevin was. Sweet Pea told me about it."  
  
"It wasn't a date... we were working on the musical... and we... Kevin...um.."  
  
Fangs smirked and asked: "What happened? Did you two hook up?"  
  
"No, not that. Kevin was about to kiss me. But we got interrupted by his dad, and so we didn't actually kiss, but it was pretty close...and now I can't stop thinking about it, and I want to go back and see him again and finish what we started!"  
  
Fangs chuckled and pulled Joaquin into a hug.  
  
"That's so cool! I am happy for you! I mean about Kevin wanting to kiss you...not about the getting interrupted part obviously."  
  
"Yeah, I am happy too. And Kevin broke up with Moose."  
  
"He did? Oh, thank god! Finally! You two will get back together, I know it, Joaquin."  
  
Joaquin smiled and nodded slowly. "I hope so.."  
  
Fangs clapped him on the back, and they both got into Joaquin's tent, where they spend the next hours talking about Kevin. Or more like, Joaquin talking about Kevin while hugging the pillow Kevin had given him to his chest, and Fangs listening to him and grinning and occasionally teasing Joaquin about how much he was gushing over Kevin. And it was exactly like it had been last year when Kevin and Joaquin had been boyfriends, and Joaquin had told Fangs every little detail about their relationship. He couldn't bring himself to stop, but Fangs didn't mind, and so Joaquin just continued and told Fangs the hundredth time how beautiful Kevin's eyes were and how good he always smelled. And Joaquin couldn't stop smiling the whole time, feeling lighter than he had in a long time.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joaquin is unsure about how to proceed after his almost kiss with Kevin, fearing that maybe Kevin has changed his mind again over the weekend. A few text messages and a restless night later Joaquin finally sees Kevin again. Will they continue what they started?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will they finally kiss? What do you think? Haha, have fun reading the new chapter! Thank you again for all the kudos and the nice comments! This story means so much to me, and it makes me very happy to see that people enjoy reading it.  
> Part of the texts Joaquin and Kevin exchange was inspired by a text I found for the accompanying aesthetic for this fanfiction. I thought it would be nice to use it because the situation kind of called for it.

The days after the almost kiss were a whirlwind of emotions for Joaquin. Just his luck that his encounter with Kevin had happened on a Friday and now he had to wait the whole weekend until he could see him again and sort things out between them. He was a nervous wreck by Sunday afternoon. Feeling ecstatic and hopeful like never before since his return to Riverdale, but there were also moments during which he was convinced that Kevin would just act as if the almost kiss had never happened, or maybe even end up regretting it. Should he call Kevin or text him? Tell him that he definitely wanted them to kiss? Would that be too much?  
  
He knew he was annoying his friends because Sweet Pea didn't even so much as come near him anymore, always finding an excuse to go somewhere else. Toni was a bit more lenient and listened to him, but then told him quite resolutely, that she thought he was making too big of a fuss about this and that he should just text Kevin already and ask him to meet up. Fangs, of course, was the one, who stayed at Joaquin's side and tried to calm him down. Joaquin didn't know when his life had become so out of control...or he knew, it happened the moment he had met a cute, green-eyed boy at the drive-in and hadn't been able to get him out of his head anymore.  
  
He was sitting at the campfire with Fangs, smoking another of already too many cigarettes and trying to think optimistic. He almost jumped when his phone buzzed. Fangs looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Joaquin quickly got his phone out of his jeans pocket and looked at the display.  
  
"Oh god, he texted me!"  
  
Fangs broke down in giggles next to him, but Joaquin couldn't bring himself to care that he sounded like a lovestruck idiot...and honestly he _was_ a lovestruck idiot. He just needed to know what Kevin wanted. He opened the message with a shaky hand and read it:  
  
_"I am looking at my notes right now, and your ideas for the new song are so good! Sorry that I was so distracted on Friday, I couldn't even appreciate your talent!"_  
  
Joaquin stared at his phone.  
  
"What did he write?" Fangs wanted to know, he was scooting closer and tried to look at the message. Joaquin angled the phone, so his friend could read it. "Oh wow! That's cool, he is complimenting you! Write him back...say something nice in return." Fangs gestured for Joaquin to write something, but Joaquin was strangely shy all of a sudden.  
  
"I...I don't know what to write." He felt like there was too much depending on his answer. Maybe this would decide whether he and Kevin would get back together again or not...what if he said something wrong?  
  
Fangs seemed to sense his slight panic because he reached out and placed a soothing hand on Joaquin's knee. "Hey calm down, it's ok. Just be yourself. Write whatever you would normally write..and I mean this one's easy..just thank him for the compliment." he nodded at Joaquin encouragingly and then added, "Look I'll leave you alone ok? You will do fine, Joaquin. Kevin likes you the way you are ok? Just write, don't overthink about it."  
  
Joaquin smiled at his friend, genuinely grateful. Fangs was right, he should just write whatever came to his mind like he usually did. And so he picked up his phone again and typed a reply:  
  
_"Thank you, I am glad you like my ideas."_ and then he added: _"Did your dad say something?"_ Just bringing up their almost kiss.  
  
_"He apologized for arriving at the wrong time, and as I suspected, I am really getting those new shoes now."_  
  
_"Good for you! So something good came out of it."_  
  
_"Yes, but maybe I would have preferred something else over the shoes."_  
  
_"And what?"_  
  
_"Hmm that he wouldn't have interrupted us?"_  
  
_"Stop doing that"_  
  
_"Stop doing what?"_  
  
_"Saying things that make me wanna kiss the hell out of you."_  
  
_"Like what?"_  
  
_"Like making me all those compliments. And being so damn cute."_  
  
_"What if I don't want to stop?"_  
  
_"When I might just end up kissing you for real."_  
  
_"Maybe I would like that."_  
  
_"Preppy, are you drunk?"_  
  
_"Nope..."_  
  
Joaquin chuckled. It was exactly how their texts had always been. Always flirting with each other. And it felt damn good to have that back. They exchanged some more messages throughout the evening, mostly about the musical.

Later that night Joaquin was lying in his tent and didn't know how he was supposed to sleep after their earlier conversation. His heart was beating crazily in his chest, and he wasn't able to think of anything else than Kevin. And he really couldn't fall asleep for hours. He replayed their almost kiss in his mind over and over again and reread their texts. 

What should he do tomorrow in school, when he would see Kevin again? What were they now? It was clear that Kevin wanted them to kiss...but when? Joaquin sighed exasperatedly. Somehow this had made things so complicated! It had been much easier to kiss Kevin for the first time ever. Back when Joaquin had just decided to try his luck with this cute guy. There had been no pressure...if Kevin had turned him down, it wouldn't have been a big deal. And there just had been this chemistry between them from the very start. It had been completely natural just to kiss Kevin before they even exchanged names. It had been easy. But now nothing was easy.  
  
Should Joaquin just walk up to Kevin and kiss him? But surely that wouldn't be ok...Kevin had just broken up with Moose. Maybe once they were alone, when working on the musical...but that would be on Tuesday. What was Joaquin supposed to do on Monday? Act as if nothing had happened? His thoughts were circling around that for a long time until he finally fell into a restless sleep.  
  
To say Joaquin was nervous when walking into Riverdale High on Monday morning was the understatement of the year. He was a mess. It was ridiculous, and he knew it. He had grown up on the Southside, he was a gang member! He had helped cover up a murder, he had gotten into lots of fights, he had dealt with drugs, he had gotten beat up by other gangs, had been on the run for months... But still he was absolutely terrified just because he was in love with Kevin Keller and he knew that they were about to maybe become boyfriends again, but Joaquin still wasn't sure that this was really what Kevin wanted too and what if Kevin had changed his mind about wanting to kiss Joaquin?  
  
He must have looked like an idiot, because Toni suddenly took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly, smiling at him and said: "Hey, don't worry so much. It will be ok. He likes you too."  
  
Joaquin made it to class, but he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts were always wandering back to Kevin. He groaned in frustration, which earned him a strange look from the girl sitting next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she looked away again. Joaquin knew that things couldn't continue like that. He pulled his phone out of his bag and quickly typed a text to Kevin: _"I need to see you."_  
  
He breathed in deeply and leaned back in his seat. He felt better, at least he had done something. His phone buzzed, and there was a new message from Kevin. _"Same. Meet me during the break in our practice room."_  
  
Joaquin slammed his phone on the table, making the girl next to him jump and his teacher looking his way disapprovingly, but he honestly didn't care. He was going to meet Kevin!  
  
Joaquin spent the next two classes counting the minutes down to when he could finally grab his bag and walk to the meeting room of the drama club. He was nervous, yes, but knowing that Kevin wanted to see him too, helped. It meant that Kevin hadn't changed his mind...Joaquin smiled to himself. When the bell finally signaled the end of class, he was the first to grab his bag and get up, leaving the classroom in a hurry.  
  
Too late it occurred to him that maybe he should have waited a few minutes longer so he wouldn't appear too eager...but he abandoned that thought again immediately. Because what did it matter? Kevin already knew how Joaquin felt about him. And so he made his way to their meeting room, went inside and was surprised when he saw that Kevin was already waiting for him. "Oh...hey Preppy."

"Hey, Joaquin.."

For a moment they just stared at each other and Joaquin was feeling a bit dizzy, the nervousness hitting him full speed again. He slowly closed the door behind himself, taking a moment to brace himself and then turned around to look at Kevin again.  
  
The other boy was standing next to the table, where they usually worked, with a little smile on his face, returning Joaquin's gaze. And suddenly it was too much. Before Joaquin could change his mind or even have one coherent thought, he just crossed the small distance separating him from Kevin and grabbed Kevin's collar, pulling him into a kiss.  
  
Kevin lost his footing, and they both stumbled back, slamming Kevin's back against the wall behind him. Someone let out a breathless little laugh, but Joaquin couldn't tell whether it was him or Kevin, he just knew that this felt too damn good. Kevin was kissing him back, and his lips were just as soft as Joaquin had remembered. He felt Kevin's arms go up around him, pulling him closer, one of Kevin's hands wandering into Joaquin's hair and Kevin's mouth opening against his.  
  
It was a needy kiss, just as heated as their first kiss had been. Joaquin hadn't even realized it, but one of his hands had wandered down Kevin's body and under his shirt, and Kevin gasped into their kiss when Joaquin's fingers trailed across his skin. It made Joaquin press even closer. His head was spinning, and he just wanted to do this forever, and Kevin seemed to want that too because he was tightening his grip on Joaquin's hair and pulled him closer. And so they just kept on kissing, only stopping because they both needed some air after some time.

They slowly pulled apart, both panting and Joaquin's heart was trying to beat its' way out of his chest from the feeling of it. He opened his eyes slowly and licked his lips, and found Kevin staring at him, flushed cheeks and red lips and it was the most beautiful sight ever. Joaquin broke out into a happy smile. It seemed to raise Kevin out of his stupor because he cleared his throat and smiled back, adding after a short moment: "Wow...that was... wow."  
  
Joaquin just nodded, not trusting his voice right now. He had wanted this for months, had pictured it a thousand times, had hoped so desperately for it to happen. He had played their past kisses over and over in his mind and had wondered whether a future kiss would be as amazing as those previous kisses. Now he knew that it was even better.  
  
Joaquin's fingers itched to touch Kevin again, and he realized that he had already moved closer again, closing the small gap between them again instinctively. And of course, Kevin's hands were on him too at the exact same time, grabbing Joaquin's shirt and pulling him closer.  
  
This was what they always had been so very good at. They had just clicked from the very first moment that they had laid eyes on each other, drawn to each other, out of control, needing to touch. They had had a very physical relationship, not able to keep from kissing or touching every few minutes.  
  
Kevin captured Joaquin's lips with his, his hands clenching Joaquin's shirt tightly and Joaquin knew that he would never get enough of this. He kissed back hungrily, not knowing how they were supposed to stop, but also not caring. He pressed closer to Kevin and sighed when Kevin deepened their kiss.  
  
They would have definitely kept on doing this for a long time, if not for the sound of the door opening. Joaquin didn't even realize it, but Kevin stopped kissing him, and Joaquin groaned frustratedly and was about to pull Kevin's head back down to his, but a voice stopped him.  
  
"Oh..guys I am so sorry!" Joaquin turned around and saw Betty standing there, staring at them with big eyes, clearly very uncomfortable that she had interrupted them. She bit her lip and was already backing out of the door, "I will just leave... god I am so sorry! Please don't mind me...just keep on kissing.."  
  
She sprinted down the hall, the door falling shut behind her. But the moment was already gone. Kevin and Joaquin were both blinking a bit dazedly at the door and smoothing down their clothes. Kevin was the first one who started to chuckle, and Joaquin burst out laughing only a few moments later.  
  
Kevin was laughing so hard that he almost toppled over, bumping into Joaquin, who held him up and they stayed like this, hugging and giggling like two very happy idiots.  
  
"I missed this so much, Preppy."  
  
"Me too."  
  
Kevin looked at Joaquin in wonder, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened and Joaquin couldn't blame him. He felt the same way. After dreaming of this for so long and spending the last few days expecting it to happen, it was still a surprise because it happened so suddenly and nothing could have prepared him for just how good it had been. Joaquin returned Kevin's intent gaze and smiled. He was getting lost in Kevin's eyes again, exactly how he had so many times last fall, not able to look anywhere else, marveling at how green those eyes were and how much love and warmth they held.  
  
_"This is where I belong."_ he thought, and for a moment it was overwhelming. He gulped hard, biting his lip and trying to get a hold of himself again. But he had really missed this so much. Kissing Kevin, being held by him, looking into those eyes, seeing this smile, laughing with him and knowing that he was the reason why Kevin was happy. Kevin would probably never understand just how much Joaquin had missed him. Would never get how he was Joaquin's lifeline, his hopeful light. But that was ok. Everything was ok, more than ok if they could be together again.  
  
And that brought up the next question. Were they together? Or what was it? Joaquin drew back a little, but only so much that he was still loosely embracing Kevin because he definitely didn't want to let go yet.  
  
"Kevin?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What are we now?"  
  
"What do you want us to be, Joaquin?"  
  
"I.. I want us to be together. I want to be your boyfriend again. But it's ok if this is too soon... I am ok with starting slow and go on dates and see where it leads... I will take anything you are willing to give."  
  
"God, you are so cute."  
  
Now it was Joaquin's turn to look at Kevin in wonder. Cute? Kevin chuckled and pulled him closer again. "I want that too. I want to be your boyfriend again too. I still want the dates of course, but we don't have to tiptoe around each other..I mean we never did that in the past, and there's no need for that now I think. Let's just be boyfriends again. All in."  
  
Joaquin grinned and grabbed Kevin's collar, pulling him in for another kiss. They pulled away when the bell rang again, indicating the end of the break.  
  
Joaquin grabbed their bags and handed Kevin his. "I like all in."  
  
They exited the practice room together and only hesitated for a split second before they both reached out at the same time, linking their hands. And that was how they walked down the school hallway, holding hands and smiling brightly, making several people stop and look at them. Too fast they arrived in front of the classroom, where Kevin's next class was taking place. Joaquin wasn't ready to let go of Kevin's hand, and the thought of turning around and walking further down the hallway to another classroom was almost unbearable. And so Joaquin just held on to Kevin a little longer, and he smiled, when he felt Kevin's fingers tightening their hold on his hand too.

"I..um I guess I should go to class now.." Kevin muttered, "Can we meet after school?" He looked at Joaquin hopefully, and Joaquin couldn't help but grin at him and nod eagerly.

"Yes, sure!"

Joaquin didn't even stop to think about what he was doing, he just moved closer and placed a quick kiss on Kevin's lips. He frankly didn't care if someone saw or what people would think. Kevin was his boyfriend again, and they had always been like this, affectionate and not able to keep from touching each other in public, always holding hands or hugging or kissing, and he automatically fell back into that routine. Kevin kissed him back and squeezed Joaquin's hand before pulling away reluctantly. They smiled at each other once again and then Kevin turned around and went into his classroom.

Joaquin sighed and made his way towards his next class too, feeling as if he was dreaming. His phone buzzed before he even reached the door to the classroom, and he laughed quietly, already knowing that it was a text from Kevin, his _boyfriend_.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joaquin and Kevin are finally back together and enjoy their time as boyfriends again. Their friends already know, and now Kevin decides that he wants to tell his dad too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, they are boyfriends! This chapter is just pure fluff because Joaquin and Kevin deserve that after all that time :) I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much to everyone, who continues to read this story and for all the sweet comments and encouragements!

Joaquin and Kevin being boyfriends again had caused their friends to collectively cheer, and Joaquin was immensely relieved that everyone seemed to be ok with them being back together. It had been three days since Kevin and he had kissed in the practice room, and Joaquin was still in some kind of daze, not able to comprehend it. Kevin was his boyfriend again... everytime Joaquin thought of that he broke out into a happy smile.  
  
He spent most of his time with Kevin now. They met in front of the school, sat together in the student lounge during their breaks and met in the afternoon again. The only time Joaquin was without Kevin was at night, and the nights mostly consisted of Joaquin texting with Kevin or talking to him on the phone, neither of them wanting to be the first to hang up. And then they finally had said goodnight for the hundredth time, and Joaquin tried to sleep, he would still lie awake, smiling and thinking about every little moment he had shared with Kevin today.  
  
On Thursday afternoon Joaquin made his way over to the Keller's house. It was time for another musical meeting, but the musical was definitely the last thing on Joaquin's mind as he parked his motorcycle and walked over to the front door. He was biting his lip, trying to keep himself from grinning like a madman, but he couldn't help it. He was so happy to see Kevin and spend time in Kevin's room, which was even better now that they were boyfriends again. He knew that he had been driving too fast, but he had been so eager to get here, that he merely hadn't cared. And apparently, he wasn't the only one, who was looking forward to their meeting, because the front door was yanked open, before Joaquin could even ring the bell and Kevin grabbed Joaquin's shirt and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him.  
  
"Wooah Preppy..."  
  
Joaquin chuckled a bit breathless but couldn't say any more, because Kevin pulled him into a kiss, silencing all of Joaquin's playful complaints. They spent the next minutes kissing until Kevin slowly pulled away and smiled at Joaquin.  
  
"Hey, baby. I missed you."  
  
"Oh I missed you too...it has been over an hour!"  
  
They both laughed softly, and Kevin reached out and took Joaquin's hand.  
  
"Come on, let's go upstairs."  
  
It was the first time Joaquin would step into Kevin's room again as his boyfriend, and he felt his heart speeding up just thinking about it. He had loved the time in Kevin's room over the last weeks, as friends, working on the musical, talking and being comfortably close, but today was different. It would be just like last year...  
  
And of course Joaquin was right, it was exactly like last year. Only ten minutes later they had both forgotten about the new song they wanted to work on. Instead, they were both sitting on Kevin's chair, Joaquin straddling Kevin's lap and kissing him until they were both gasping for air. It was amazing. The only problem was that they didn't get any work done anymore. Their notes lying abandoned on Kevin's desk and the floor, next to their shirts. Kevin was running his hands down Joaquin's back, and Joaquin smiled into their kiss, letting his own hands trail slowly down Kevin's chest.  
  
"Let's go over to your bed, Preppy."  
  
There were definitely some advantages to getting back together with your ex, Joaquin thought. You could just go back to the same level you had been with that person before the breakup. Last year, when Kevin and Joaquin had gotten together, Joaquin had always made sure to let Kevin set the pace. It hadn't felt right to demand things from the other boy when Joaquin had already felt so bad for keeping so many secrets from him. And so he had tried to keep things between them pretty pg-13. They had already been half-official boyfriends when Kevin had suggested that they should go down to Sweetwater River to fool around and take their relationship to the next level. Of course, Joaquin had went along with it very happily, but it had been important to him that it was Kevin's decision.  
  
But now things were different. Joaquin didn't have to feel like he was using Kevin and was betraying his trust and it made things a thousand times better. He looked down at Kevin and chuckled slightly when he saw Kevin's expression, his pupils dilated and a light blush on his cheeks from their make-out session. Even Kevin's voice sounded husky when he answered: "Yeah..there's nothing I want more.."  
  
Joaquin slid off Kevin's lap and pulled his boyfriend up too, crossing the few feet between the desk and the bed and pushed Kevin, so he fell onto the soft mattress with a surprised sound.  
  
Joaquin followed him quickly, lying down next to Kevin and he was very pleased to feel Kevin's arms pulling him closer instantly. It was so good to feel Kevin's skin against his again, every little touch making goose bumps appear on Joaquin's body. Joaquin closed his eyes and captured Kevin's lips once again in a tender kiss, sighing when Kevin grabbed his hips, pulling him even closer. They proceeded like that, and things turned pretty heated quickly. They were currently tangled tightly, kissing and grinding against each other, hands tugging at each other's jeans, when Joaquin heard a sound.

He quickly pulled away and listened. Kevin looked up at him questioningly, and Joaquin whispered:  
  
"Did you hear something too?"  
  
"Wh.. what?"  
  
Joaquin put a finger to his lips, and they both held their breath listening and really, there was someone in the house.  
  
Kevin groaned frustratedly. "My dad! I can't believe that. He said he would meet Sierra after work..."  
  
And surely, the ex-sheriff chose this moment to call out for his son: "Kevin? I am home. Sierra had to cancel our plans. Are you in your room?"  
  
Joaquin looked at Kevin with wide eyes and quickly got up, almost jumping out of bed and hurriedly put his shirt back on and tried to smooth his hair, after throwing Kevin's shirt over to him too.  
  
"Hi, dad! Yes, I.. I am in my room. Joaquin is here...we are working on the musical."  
  
Kevin quickly got up from his bed too, pulling on his shirt and helped Joaquin picking up their notes from the floor.  
  
Seconds later his dad opened the door and peeked in.  
  
"Hey boys, I forgot that today is your workday. Hey Joaquin."

Mr. Keller smiled and gave Joaquin a little wave. Joaquin nodded in greeting and hoped that his hair didn't look too ruffled and that hopefully there weren't any hickeys on his neck..or Kevin's neck. He quickly looked over at his boyfriend, but everything seemed to be ok.

"I will leave you alone, so you can get some more work done. Have fun!"  
  
"Ok thanks, dad."  
  
Mr. Keller shut the door again, and Joaquin and Kevin both stood frozen until they heard his footsteps on the stairs. And then both burst out laughing at the same time. It was a situation very similar to what they had encountered several times last year. When Kevin had sneaked Joaquin into his room, and they had forgotten the time, and suddenly there had been the sound of the front door opening, and they had been in a panic to get dressed and to hide Joaquin somewhere. Joaquin had ended up in Kevin's closet or under his bed several times.  
  
They calmed down again after a few moments and went to work on the musical, for real this time, though Joaquin still stole some small kisses occasionally. Joaquin was delighted that Kevin sang the new song several times, trying out how it sounded. Joaquin had always loved Kevin's voice so much, and he just sat there listening and smiling. Kevin stopped and looked at him. "Is it ok, what do you think?"  
  
"I am not sure... sing it again, Preppy."  
  
Kevin shrugged and started singing once again, and Joaquin smirked happily. He made Kevin sing the song several more times until Kevin smacked him playfully on the arm and declared that he wouldn't sing another word if Joaquin didn't sing too and Joaquin decided that it was better to leave it.  
  
They packed up their notes, and Kevin pulled Joaquin into a tight hug, nuzzling his neck.  
  
"Hey, Joaquin?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Um...do you...would you be ok with telling my dad about us?"  
  
Joaquin pulled away a bit and looked at Kevin in surprise. He hadn't expected that, but it made him grin brightly at Kevin. He nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Yes! Of course!"  
  
"You do? I mean things are different now, and he already seems to like you so it will be no problem I think. And I would really like it if he knew."  
  
Joaquin looked at him with a happy smile. Kevin wanted to tell his dad about them! It meant that he was serious about this. Joaquin had to bite his lip and blink a few times to stop his eyes from tearing up. This meant so much to him. They would be officially together...he managed to get a grip again and nodded at Kevin.  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Great! Ok come on, let's do this before I get too nervous!"  
  
They went downstairs and found Mr. Keller in the kitchen. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in hand, and the newspaper spread out before him. He looked up as they entered.  
  
"Dad? Joaquin and I want to tell you something."  
  
"Sure, what is it, boys?"  
  
Kevin turned to look at Joaquin and took his hand. Joaquin gently squeezed Kevin's hand and smiled at him encouragingly. Kevin let out a breathless little chuckle and addressed his dad again:  
  
"We...um well we are together. Joaquin is my boyfriend, and I wanted to introduce him to you officially so to speak."  
  
Joaquin watched Mr. Keller as he took in his son's announcement. He looked from Kevin to Joaquin and back, and a grin was forming on his face. Joaquin felt relief wash over him. He had hoped that Mr. Keller would be ok with it, but a small part of him had still been worried, that maybe the ex-sheriff wouldn't want a Serpent as his son's boyfriend. Apparently, that didn't seem to be a problem, because Kevin's dad definitely looked happy, and Joaquin couldn't help but grin when Mr. Keller spoke up:  
  
"That's great! I am very happy for the two of you. You know, I was kind of suspecting that there could be something between you. I am glad I was right...So Joaquin, welcome to the family."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Keller." Joaquin squeezed Kevin's hand tighter and leaned against him a bit, smiling at Mr. Keller. He had wished for this so much, but it had always just seemed like a distant dream, something that could never be. The sheriff's son and the Serpent. But now everything had changed.  
  
"Do you want coffee too?" Kevin's dad asked, and they both nodded and went to get their own cups. And just like that Joaquin was officially Kevin Keller's boyfriend. He stole a glance at Kevin and could see a satisfied smile playing around his lips, and it gave Joaquin butterflies to see how happy Kevin looked.

Joaquin knew that this was a big thing for Kevin, the approval of his dad. Kevin loved his father and looked up to him, and while Tom Keller was very supportive of his gay son, it still had worried Kevin that maybe his dad wouldn't approve of his choice of boyfriend. And that was how Joaquin had felt about it too. He didn't want to stand between Kevin and his dad. They had such a good relationship, it wouldn't have been right to mess that up. Having earned Mr. Keller's approval was one of the best things that ever happened in Joaquin's life.

He realized that he was staring at Kevin and quickly tore his gaze away and grabbed his coffee cup. But one look in Mr. Keller's direction told Joaquin that he had already been caught. Kevin's dad raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, and Joaquin had to stifle a laugh. It was nice how the ex-sheriff was so comfortable with all of this.  
  
Kevin and Joaquin sat down at the kitchen table too and drank their coffee, making small talk with Kevin's dad, and it truly felt as if Joaquin was part of this little family.

It was something he had missed a lot. His home life had never been perfect, and the time he had got with his mom was so long ago that sometimes he wasn't quite sure, if he really remembered something or if it was just something his mind had made up. The memories of his time in his foster family were clearer, and he remembered them as nice people, but he had never felt at home there and had often pushed them away.

After that, the only family he had had were the Serpents. A group of the poor, the criminal, the unwanted. It was a tough crowd often, and you had to prove yourself to them, but when it came down to it, they always had your back if you were one of them. But of course, they weren't like a real family, and Joaquin had often dreamed about starting his own family one day.

Find a sweet boy, someone he could imagine spending his life with, move together, marry, maybe even adopt kids. But deep down he had doubted that he would ever have that. Meeting Kevin had changed that, and he had begun to get his hopes up that maybe life held something more in store for Joaquin, that perhaps he could make his dreams come true. And now that they were back together again and even closer now, Joaquin couldn't help but feel that things could turn out like in his daydreams after all.

Without realizing it he had taken Kevin's hand in his again, and he smiled when Kevin gently stroked a thumb over his hand. Joaquin almost laughed out loud. It was unreal, he was sitting in the Keller's kitchen with Kevin's dad and was holding his son's hand, and it was fine.  
  
They finished their coffee and went up to Kevin's room so Joaquin could collect his notes and backpack. Joaquin could see how happy Kevin was, wearing a little grin on his face the whole time. Joaquin walked up to him and hugged him from behind, placing a soft kiss on Kevin's neck.  
  
"Your dad is really ok with us."  
  
"Yes, I can't believe it! I mean... I knew that he likes you and that he would probably agree to us being together...but it's still so new... you are my first boyfriend for the second time. This time the first boyfriend officially... I am babbling, aren't I? But it's just so... awesome."  
  
Joaquin chuckled and placed another kiss on Kevin's neck. "You are cute when you are babbling. I am happy too...very happy. I would like to introduce you to my family too...but I guess you already know my Serpents."  
  
Kevin froze for a moment, and Joaquin wondered, what he had said... and then Kevin turned around and pulled him into a tight embrace.  
  
"I sometimes forget how different your life is from mine... but... Joaquin, I can be your family now."  
  
Joaquin forgot to breathe for a moment. Kevin's words pulled at his heartstrings. Family. Kevin wanted Joaquin to be his family... and images appeared in Joaquin's mind: Kevin and Joaquin living together, decorating their own little place, Kevin being all hyper about it and buying way too many things, Kevin in a suit, putting a ring on Joaquin's finger, Kevin giving a small child a piggyback ride, both laughing happily..  
  
It was stupid, but Joaquin couldn't help it. It was what he wished for with all of his heart. He knew that he was too young to think about getting married or starting a family. He knew that Kevin was his first boyfriend and he was Kevin's first boyfriend and that there was a possibility that their relationship wouldn't last, that they both would end up with someone else in the future. He knew that there weren't going to be just happy times.  
  
But it didn't matter he realized because he couldn't even imagine himself with anyone else. Before he had met Kevin, he had pictured his future pretty boring. He would get a job on the Southside, maybe work at the gas station or in the Whyte Wyrm. He would stay in the trailer park for the rest of his life, would have random hookups, maybe find a guy he liked one day and settle down with him, but never that kind of love you saw in movies or read about in books. He would stay in his little Serpents cosmos and dream of a life far away, but knowing it would never happen. His imagined future had been very grey scaled, boring and pretty sad.  
  
But Kevin Keller had changed that. When Joaquin imagined his future now, it was in bright colors. He could even see himself going to college, perhaps together with Kevin? Finding a work he really enjoyed, getting married, having kids, a house full of love and laughter. And even the bad times wouldn't be able to destroy that. As long as Kevin was by his side, they would find a way to overcome everything.  
  
Joaquin gulped and buried his face against Kevin's shoulder, not able to look at his boyfriend right now. He was too emotional, too close to crying and so he just leaned against Kevin and hugged him close.  
  
Once he got himself a bit more under control again, he managed to whisper: "You already are my family, Preppy."  
  
He slowly pulled back and looked up into Kevin's eyes and what he saw there was giving Joaquin weak knees. Kevin looked at him like no one had ever looked at Joaquin, with so much love and warmth. And before he could change his mind, Joaquin said something he had wanted to say much sooner: "I love you, Kevin."  
  
He watched as Kevin's eyes turned impossibly big. _"So beautiful."_ Joaquin thought and smiled softly. He wasn't worried that Kevin wouldn't return the words, Joaquin knew that Kevin loved him too, had seen it in his eyes.  
  
"Oh god... I love you too, Joaquin."  
  
Joaquin's head was spinning a bit as if he was drunk and he was feeling lightheaded. Hearing Kevin say _"I love you"_ was something he had dreamed of many times and now that it had actually happened it was even better than in those dreams.  
  
Kevin was still looking at him incredulously, slightly shaking his head. He looked so cute, Joaquin reached out and gently cupped Kevin's cheek, smiling up at his boyfriend affectionately.  
  
Kevin finally blinked, and a happy smile spread slowly across his face. "You are everything I ever wished for, Joaquin." He leaned forward and gently kissed Joaquin again, and Joaquin was very eager to kiss him back.

They only managed to part, because Joaquin's phone buzzed and he was reminded of his friends waiting for him at the camp. They had some sort of inofficial Serpents meeting today, and Joaquin had promised to be there. He gave Kevin one last kiss, of course making sure that it was the kind of kiss that would keep Kevin lying awake and think about it for hours, and then made his way back to the campsite.  
  
He spent the rest of the evening with the other young Serpents. But his mind was with Kevin all the time, thinking about their kisses and the way Kevin's skin had felt against his and of course about their _"I love yous"_. Joaquin suspected that his friends knew all too well that he was busy daydreaming about his boyfriend, but they didn't complain.

 


End file.
